Fake Empire

Historically there have always been massive empires that have governed people - let's take the Roman Empire for example. Two thousand years ago this empire ruled most of the "discovered" world. It was a monster of an empire. Although it was powerful at the time, eventually the people revolted and the empire collapsed.

Over the centuries we have seen this time and time again. An empire's power never lasts. It got me thinking - what is the empire that rules my world today. Is it the government, the law and wealth? To a certain extent, yes. But there is another dimension to life that was never there before.

Today we live in three dimensions, I believe - reality, the unconscious realm and the online realm. "Reality" would be the old-school real experiences where we have a physical presence. The unconscious realm would be the space that we enter when we're asleep or under the influence of alcohol/drugs. The new dimension which I call the "online realm" is the life that we are involved in where we are not physically engaging but consciously present and engaging.

Although the government, the law and wealth have power, we cannot deny that the online realm has a stronghold over us as a society. Even if you choose not to partake in online activities, the world is shaped by this new presence (with online entities affecting the economy, work place, social life, etc).

Macklemore's song "Fake Empire" challenges our thinking of the online realm. He states that we're half awake in a fake empire. The music video tells how we have become obsessed with empires that don't even exist in the real world - empires that are not physical although their activities may have effects on the physical world.

It's easy for us to become completely addicted to the online world so much so that it can have negative effects on our lives - we can't even have coffee with a friend without checking our phones every 10 seconds.

Obviously it is your choice whether to use the online realm (or "fake empire" as Macklemore calls it) as a tool to better your life and your community or to become obsessed with some of the services on the Internet to the point that it is negatively affecting your life.

Whereas before our behaviour and physical performances/interactions would shape our identity and society would dictate who we are, today we can literally shape our own online presence. We tell the world who we are instead of the other way round.

The online presences that we create definitely have some effect on how people perceive us in the real world. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing that we dictate the perceptions of ourselves online. I think it can work either way. One thing is for sure - the online world has an effect on us psychologically. It can build us up, break us down, alienate us, bring us together, hurt, comfort. Although the empire may be "fake" in the sense that it exists in thin air (or rather through the complex coding that runs through cables and satellites), it's implications on our thoughts and emotions are definitely very real.

Every empire under the sun has had a rise and a fall. If we had to measure the online empire in accordance with history, we could say that it is bound to collapse eventually. But then again, it's how you see it. Is the Internet really an empire or is it merely a catalyst, a mode of transport?

Food for thought.

- Rivkah Hope