We are becoming increasingly disconnected from ourselves and one another, and one of the culprits for that disconnection ironically is social media. Social media has the power to connect human beings in remarkable ways, however at its worst, it can become a forum for unrestrained, unfiltered ranting and venting where healthy dialogue and discourse is impossible. I feel that at its worst, it does not foster or nurture listening, learning, or relationship building.
In the last couple of years, I have fallen in love with public television. I started watching PBS programming regularly, and I was like, "PBS, where have you been all of my life?" The quality of the programming filled a void from what I feel is missing from television programming overall, with educational pieces, artistic expression, and delivering the reality of world issues in meaningful ways. One of these meaningful programs that I came across was "Caine's Arcade."
This amazing little documentary is about a little boy in East Los Angeles with big dreams of bringing people to his homemade arcade that he set up at his dad's auto part shop. His first customer, Nirvan Mullick came along and decided to surprise Caine and fulfill his dream by recruiting more customers for his little arcade. Nirvan used social media to bring a community together to support Caine's arcade, and created the short film about the event, which became viral globally. People came together in person to support Caine and his dream and that dream continues to this day. People came together on social media all over the world to witness and be a part of it as well.
Social media at its best can bring communities together, help people to dream, create, engage, and so much more. I am guilty of engaging in social media in ways that aren't healthy, authentic, or helpful. I would like to commit to using the power of social media in ways that foster bringing people together, dreaming, creativity, listening and learning. I'm so glad that one little boy in East LA and his supporters inspired me and I hope this little film does the same for you. In our world today, especially in this post-election season, we certainly could use more of the same spirit as Caine's arcade.
Peace,
Sharon
