Bombardment
The escalator just wouldn't stop squeaking, while the kids’ rides opposite me flashed and roared. The children below wouldn't stop screaming, while their parents scrolled on their phones, and the mall music pounded relentlessly. Was the music to entice people to come in or to drive them away? It felt like it was saying, “get in quick; spend as much as you can; then get out so we can replace you!”
As I write this, I am listening to “Magical Mall Memories of the 60s-70s.” There was always an experience to offer; a sense of expansion and possibility. Now, it all feels so…flat. The music is louder, the pace is quicker, but there is no heart in it all anymore. Even the perpetually helmeted fast-food drivers rush in, grab the order, and rush out; even the mall food now has to be delivered.
This relates, to some extent, to why I don't use social media; I genuinely cannot stand the endless head-down-scrolling posture that fills the world. Even these small posts don't have a ‘share’ button. If someone genuinely wants to share a post, they will find a way. That is also why I have hand-crafted a good old-fashioned RSS feed, rather than become another product for big-tech.
Now, I fancy a good old-fashioned prawn cocktail.