Would You Still Do It If You Couldn't Post It on Social Media?

On July 21st, I planned to run for 107 minutes. Why such an odd duration, you might ask. It's because my beloved film, Dunkirk, whose duration happens to be 107 minutes, was released on the same day. I have been feeling disconnected from cinema for over a year now. So I thought running with the film in mind would somehow help me get back to my lost love of watching films. I also thought about captions I'd put on the story once I'm finished with the run. The night before the 21st, a thought briefly crossed my mind –- would I still run for the same duration tomorrow if I decided not to make the reason public? Can I run without telling the world why I ran?

I did not run the next day. I suspect most of us are doing things with the primary intention of posting them on social media, and not to experience the activity for its own sake. Finding 'aesthetic' cafes so you can post it later on social media, posting a running Strava story on Instagram. Engaging in cultural or religious activities like going for pandal hopping (I abhor this word), participating in folk dances during festivals, going to 'shobha yatra' and 'diwali-sandhya'... I could go on and on. I feel like asking: would you still wear the same dress, act the same way, dance the same way, speak the same way, if you were not recording it?

Over the last few months, I have observed that there's a hope associated with documenting and publicizing your life. A hope that if we keep doing this, we'll eventually get paid to post similar content. We'd become content creators and get sponsorships to advertise products. Although the idea itself isn't unreasonable, it's quixotic for sure. Not only is it unlikely to happen for most people, but pursuing it can also consume considerable time and energy. I feel like asking: would you still do this if there were no hope of getting paid for doing something similar in the future?

On the contrary, people are doing something. They are breaking a sweat for the sake of a Strava screenshot, participating in a cultural religious activity with friends and family which otherwise they wouldn’t have. They are going out, touching grass, meeting people they enjoy spending time with. They aren’t sitting at home, doomscrolling or playing games. It should count for something, right? Although the inner motive might be to post about this on Instagram, the fact that they engaged in an activity should be considered. This takes me back to a discussion I had with someone, in which I argued that running clubs are pointless, as nobody takes running seriously; they focus more on meeting new people. The other person explained how socializing is the core motive behind the running clubs, and running is just a common ground for everyone who wants to become part of something. And if people are, in the end, having fun, whether by engaging in an activity or by looking at the virtual internet points, does it really matter?

But strip away not just the app, and not just the hope of a future payoff – go further still: would people still do what they post if there were no external reward, recognition, validation, or audience of any kind? I do not think there is anything inherently wrong with starting something because of an extrinsic motivation, be it internet points, recognition, or the hope of sponsorships. Sometimes, that initial motivation can lead us to experiences we genuinely enjoy. But I hope that, eventually, the activity itself becomes enough. We should be able to enjoy something, learn from it, have fun, or simply be present in it, even when there is nobody to watch or applaud. I hope someday I run for 107 minutes on 21st July without feeling the need to tell anyone why.