Keep Running

Stories and novellas by writers such as Enid Blyton, Ruskin Bond and Rumer Godden fascinated me immensely in my childhood. The magical tales set in India and far-away lands among children, animals and nature effortlessly transported me away to realms totally disparate from my own. These writers used a great deal of imagination to infuse their stories with characters, societies, philosophies, et al so much so that sometimes they succeeded in creating a whole new universe.
I remember Blyton’s ‘Shadow, the Sheepdog’ from my childhood - a riveting tale of a boy and his dog set in a farm in England, a universe where animals could talk, form alliances, unite against a common foe, act out the moral codes of duty, love, friendship – a heady premise for so young a mind as mine.

All those feelings of wonderment, thrill and awe came rushing back as I watched the mini-series ‘Watership Down’ on Netflix. I discovered ‘Watership Down’ quite by accident, never having heard of the novel or its creator, Richard Adams. Anyway, once I started the series, I could not stop, and I finished all 4 episodes at one go, so engrossed I was in the world of
rabbits and their warrens. It is obvious that Adams sought to explore the ‘human condition’ by transposing it to the universe of rabbits; he comes up with an interesting story of the origin of rabbits, the emergence of antagonistic elements, the hierarchies in the rabbit society, the all-too-common pitfalls of organized structures, motifs of human qualities like struggle, self-determination, the metastasizing of tyranny, etc.

It is interesting that the novel actually sprang out of tales that the author used to regale his 2 young daughters – tales that Richard actually confessed to improvising as they story moved along. The story is essentially about a motley band of rabbits who flee from their warren fearing imminent destruction, their travails when they hop out into the unknown world meeting strange characters, mortal enemies in their search for a new home, making unlikely friends and their final success in surmounting numerous odds to secure a happy, peaceful warren.

First published in 1972, the epic motifs in the book still ring true, tethered as they are, to the enduring realities of human existence. I guess I got attracted to the characters and the story because they are so allegorical and therefore, easy to identify with. Take for instance, the main protagonist, Hazel, who struggles through self-doubt, the barbs of his fellow-rabbits, his own physical limitations and lack of fighting abilities, instead choosing to trust his own instincts and the sage advice of his younger brother, Fiver.

Richard used great imagination to imbue his rabbit world with compelling mythology, its own language, ‘lapine’, sweeping adventures and a hierarchical structure built on gender, individual physical attributes, skills. I have not read the book but the mini-series makes for very enjoyable viewing and a ready interest into the goings-on of the rabbit world – does look after the kits and maintain the warren, bucks guard the perimeter and sound warnings, rabbit councils decide on important matters, the military rabbits act as enforcers and above all, the rabbits run. Mythology reveals that their fleet-footedness is their prime defense against most dangers – they run, hop, and skip away to safety.

Hares are quite common here and there is a particularly intrepid brown one who ventures into my backyard most mornings, nibbling on the succulent greens. Whenever he senses my presence however, he dashes off in a blur of brown….

The Trends I see in Social Media

My current job requires me to sift through tons of user-generated content in social media and very often, it offers a voyeuristic peek into the minds of the users and society. Crunch through enough social media posts, videos, captions, and what-have-you, and you start to develop a sense of what concerns users currently, the contemporary issues which they like to post on, how they seek to build relationships and even, the preferred filter they use on their pictures. This gives me the opportunity to expound on what I see as current trends among social media users. 

 1. Growth of User communities. Doing what they do on the social apps – sharing, creating, commenting – increases affinity among users to form communities or groups based on common connectors. These may be the games they are currently playing, the city they are presently staying in, the brands that attract them the most, lifestyle goals like food, travel, photography, the local events whether they be politics, economic, leisure, their country of origin, religious and spiritual values, etc. Once formed, these communities largely function as a touchstone of shared beliefs and ideas the members identify with, fiercely protect, and oftentimes seek to propagate among others too. 

 2. Games, games, more games. Beside the stratospheric numbers of the online games industry, it has also spawned its own platforms like Twitch, B Site, etc. Emergence of Augmented Reality (AR) & Virtual Reality (VR) games, popularity of gaming platforms like Roblox, etc. where developers and gamers can co-create, the ever-expanding scope of what gamers can do within the games, etc. all mean that the gaming community has a lot to share and talk about. And guess where the gamers like to come? Oh yes, the social media apps where users share posts on their latest avatars, gaming achievements, and flaunt their in-game collections. Chew on this – Twitter calculated that its users sent 1 billion tweets about gaming in the first half of 2020 alone! 

 3. Live streaming is In. Content creators such as indie game developers, artists, lifestyle teachers are using live streaming services on social media like never before. Being constrained by the pandemic, users have adapted to connecting with their audiences, co-users by creating live chats, competitions, and tutorials to grab more eyeballs and make important announcements. Recent studies have thrown up the conclusion that the popularity of live videos is dominating the demand for video content. 

 4. We all like stories. Storytelling finds a new significance on social media where users seek to create content by taking a more organized approach, layering content through pre-launch banter, quizzes, ‘behind-the-scenes’ moments, tours, etc. This all creates the impression of a definite thematic journey in the minds of the audience and the short-lived nature of the content keeps users engaged, excited and on their toes. 

 All these evolutions make social media exciting and better understand the impact it has on the users and the world around us. So, strap in for the ride!