Are we on the same side of the internet?

This morning, I was scrolling FB over breakfast (I know, I know…), and was drawn in to a post from my amazing writing coach, Jena Schwartz. Jena’s posts can be light hearted, wise and thought provoking or as it turned out in this case, all the above.

The post referenced the (in my opinion) viral story about the cats on the Vitamix box. If you aren’t yet familiar with these felines and their box, please take a minute, click here and read this delightful tale. After reading Jena’s post, I looked up and said to Katherine, “You won’t believe what is going on with the cats on the Vitamix box.” And Katherine looked at me as if I had turned in to a cat on Vitamix box. She had no idea what I was talking about. I assumed she had just forgotten about it because I have seen this story everywhere, so I tried to remind her. Then she said the most 2022 thing I think I have ever heard. She said, “Mom- I don’t think we are on the same side of the internet. We don’t see the same things.”

Whoa.

She is right. We don’t see the same things. I have curated my social feeds to include friends, books, inspirational quotes, some politics, cute babies, puppies and yes- all things cats. Needless to say, Katherine’s follows and for you pages look quite different. Our experiences on the internet are night and day- both by design and by social media algorithms.

Obviously there is no harm in this difference when it comes to cats on Vitamix boxes but how about when it comes to the news? Or to science? What does it mean that two people in the same house can live on ‘different sides of the internet’?

I’m pretty sure everyone, regardless of which side you are on, has seen the meme that wishes us back to ‘precedented times’. Sadly though, I do believe we continue to live in truly unprecedented times. We are living in times where facts- scientific, medical and otherwise- are called in to question. We are living in times when you can curate the information you read, watch and listen to line up with your beliefs.

All this saddens me and frankly scares me. Which perhaps is why I seek solace in cats refusing to give up their perch atop a Vitamix box. Off to see what those crazy cats are up to now…