A Joyous Perspective on Social Media: WYSIWYG turned on it's head.

This week at The Friday Night Thought Tale Hour at the Henderson's, I found myself needing to chuckle. Well, actually, I needed to have some moments of a big ole belly laugh. Our week was more challenging than usual, with added events that brought emotional and even physical pain. Once again, I am grateful for the character I was born with, that seems to have a knack for bouncing back. But I was still left with a few bruises and scrapes, both externally and internally. And as I started the task of 'sharing' my weekend and week via the many avenues of social media we have at our fingertips, and I read the hundreds of other perspectives in my news feeds, I had to stop and reflect. This thing many of us access daily has truly gone counter to the original intent of the computer terminology it is defined by.

What the heck happened to WYSIWYG?

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What You See Is What You Get. It's the interface that was created to help all that gobbly-gook computer language actually morph into something you can use. (Well, that's my way of putting it into Joy terms,  but you can read more about it here) What is behind the curtain should resemble the outcome. But here in the year 2015, we have negotiated a way to edit, tweak, filter and photoshop what actually ends up on the stage of our lives. Don't like the way you look in that photo? Change it. Don't like that part of your life? If you post the version you prefer often enough and get enough 'likes', your history is now officially amended. Successful careers are created from nothing more than a well-crafted 'about' screen. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, call people 'friends' that they hardly know. What you see is often not at all what you actually get in reality. You remember reality, right? It's that person in the mirror without the use of photo editor - wrinkles, greys, and stretch marks. 

Now before you think I'm lecturing...Or judging....

Hmm...Photoshop?

I'm not blaming the vehicles or even the drivers of Social sites for how far from WYSIWYG we've come. Facebook, Tumblr, Ello, Twitter, LinkedIN etc. have never purported themselves to be anything but opportunities to vent, share and promote. And they are capable of extreme benefit and offer ways to communicate and connect that can take us to the next level of human interaction. But when someone who only 'knows' of me from posting or blogging meets me on the street, I don't want them to feel like I did the time I saw David Cassidy in line at Disneyland. "Oh no, that can't be him? Oh lord, it IS him. Where the hell is the guy on my poster at home?" 

Like David's promoters, we can continue to present the airbrushed version, and social media will happily oblige. Then there is the 'overshare' choice, which can be equally deceptive and cringe-worthy. Both extremes. 

So where is the happy medium? Or is there such a thing in WYSIWYG?

Add this button to Facebook?

After much consideration, I had to conclude that "what you see is what you get" is as individual as the coder who creates it. Sometimes the images are skewed and distorted, and other times they exceed expectation, and still other times, they hit the mark. No matter how I try, I will never be able to truly 'know' or be 'known' in this land of the online. So while the medium supported by algorithms created to be a language of truth and structure is really amazing, it still isn't the purity of a face to face human interaction. It can never replace a drink with me on my back patio or dinner with my besties. I can bare as much of my soul here in this blog, and reach hard for the center of those who read it, but I will still far short until we sit together and have a conversation. Or rather, I will always be a little unsure.

So do we give up and abandon the tools of Social Media that allow us to reach far beyond the small communities and walls we inhabit? There's no way I'm going backward. What's more likely to happen is that the brains behind the user interfaces will simply find ways to bring us together that appear more genuine. But dammit, they will not be the real thing. They might be the next best thing, but let's never stop trying for the best thing. The human element. 

Let's keep striving for the Human WYSIWYG.

Me. Morning. WYSIWYG.

Whether on paper, screen or flesh, let's not shy away from being real. Instead of just hitting the 'like' or 'favorite' button, let's validate each other's share with the letters "IGY" - I Get You. And if you need more validation than that, perhaps you ought to pick up the phone and call a friend. There's got to be at least one on your 'following' list that you have the number for, right?

For our cocktail to go with the thought tale tonight, I've chosen something called "Peepin' it Real".  Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like. As I said, I need to laugh a little.  CHEERS, FRIENDS!

Peepin' It Real Cocktail 

2 puffed marshmallow-shaped candies,1 to ignite and 1 to garnish,(recommended: Peeps)
2 ounces absinthe
1-ounce blue curacao
Splash grenadine
2 ounces soda water
Cherry, for serving

Using your absinthe spoon to perch the marshmallow candy over your glass, pour the absinthe over the marshmallow candy and then carefully light the marshmallow candy on fire, letting the molten sugar drip into the absinthe.
Add the blue curacao, a splash of grenadine, and top with soda water. Garnish with a marshmallow candy head and cherry, if desired. (P.S., you probably need a designated fire starter for the next round)

Always drink responsibly. Never drive after drinking.