Existential crisis 101

It's funny how hitting rock bottom can turn out to be so inspirational.

I'm just going to run with this and see how far I get.

So it has been exactly 2 months since my last blog post. I have been finding it difficult to find topics that I am really passionate about. I think there is a definite link between present circumstances and what influences your passions. It definitely influences it in some or other way. 

Have you ever felt that what you really want to achieve is never actually revealed to you? I always admire those people that have their lives set out for them, like they got a memo telling them exactly what to do to achieve success and happiness. Like a step by step manual that tells you exactly how to get there according to your talents, your needs and in the given time frame. Wouldn't it just be amazing to have something like that?

Funny enough I have always been one of those people that knew what they wanted to do with their lives, I knew that journalism is what I wanted to do, I knew that I would end up in a journalistic position when i am finished with my degree. Through first, second and third year I had this certainty and it definitely had a major impact on my love for what I was doing. 

It all changed in 4th year, I was confronted with the task of prioritising what I actually love (music) for what I thought I loved (journalism). It's funny how true passions are revealed when you are doing something that just doesn't appeal to you anymore. That has definitely been the case for me. 

Now I am not saying that I hate journalism completely, in fact, I still have this basic love for writing and interacting with people that is just ingrained in my being. I am just finding it difficult to build a relationship with what is expected of me in my current reality with what I actually want to do. Why must there always be this conflict with what is expected from you and what you truly want to do.

Now I know that there will be areas in my life that I won't enjoy, heck this just might be a phase that I am going through but I am always asking the question of why won't life just give you what you really want and aspire to? why does it always insist on shitting on your parade when you work so hard to achieve that happiness that you get from doing what you love. I know that life does this to make you stronger, to separate the men from the boys but it just seems useless to me. But I guess that is just one of life's mysteries that will never be explained. 

I know I am not the first person to write about this feeling and most people have experienced such an existential crisis in some or other form. 

The best advice I've gotten about approaching this feeling is that you just gotta mission on and determine what is integral to your own life, if it's not important, let it go and mission on. This is definitely what I am going to try and do. Even if life won't let me, I will mission on and do what makes me happy. 

Adios muchachos.

C

Oscar is being torn to pieces, 140 characters at a time.

Twitter has risen from strength to strength since its inception in 2006. The microblogging site has really cashed in on the incessant need for gratification that society has developed for anything consumable. 

With 140 characters or less, it really speaks to the consumer that is on the move, needs information at a touch of a button and also…lazy. We live in a society where most people do not want to read long and convoluted pieces, where there is no need to buy a newspaper or watch the news because now everything can be found on your mobile phone. 

If we look at one instance in particular a great example would be the Oscar Pistorius case. The moment that story broke on Twitter the whole country went into a media frenzy. It was evident from trending topics that it is one of the most discussed issues on Twitter for this past week. But why exactly have people been following it?

Any smartphone makes it really easy to access the internet and with Twitter constantly being updated with news practically every second, it is no wonder that people prefer this particular source of information over the daily news or newspapers, it cuts out the problem of having to wait a specific time to watch the news and to also wait for your daily paper. 

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The live court - tweeting has also been a great hit with Twitter users. The fact that you can now receive a blow by blow account of what is happening in the actual courtroom is very difficult to beat. I have come to realise that people want to follow the action as it unfolds, they want to be there, whether in an actual capacity or a virtual one like Twitter is now offering them. 

For this particular case alone, Twitter is making it difficult for other social media platforms to keep up, simply by the fact that they do not offer what Twitter does. Especially since the Oscar Pistorius case is one that is constantly being updated. Twitter's instant updating platform has made it very popular with the users following this case because it also allows you to have your say in the matter. You can now contribute to the conversation by adding a hashtag (#) or by using the @ sign. To create a forum where people can discuss such an issue that is riddled in uncertainties is a winning recipe because everybody wants their opinion to be heard. 

I am not saying that this method is the right way of going about such a sensitive issue but it is effective. 

The only criticism that I have with idea of a global discussion, is that it leaves very little room for the truth. With the Oscar Pistorius case being such a popular topic on Twitter, it has opened the door for the truth to be shadowed by assumptions, opinions and rumours that do not corroborate with the actual evidence. What it does create is an uncertain platform where people are now adding their own tales to a story that they actually know very little about. For this case in particular it is evident that Pistorius is being torn to pieces by the public because the rumours surrounding this fiasco are riddled with half truths and evidence which nobody is actually certain about. 

This case is perfect for Twitter, it demands the rapid response and instant information that is filtered through to the public. Twitter will always be a firm favourite amongst users because it offers a particular fast access to information that most social media and other media platforms lack. And this is what the people want. They want information that is easily accessible and easy to read. We live in a fast paced world where everything is done on the run. Let's face it, people want 140 characters or less.