Social media trends come and go in the blink of an eye. While what’s hot on TikTok right now will be long forgotten in the next 24 hours, one trend across platforms has not only stuck, but has been steadily gaining traction over the past year.
The “moving in silence” movement which emerged last year during the height of the pandemic has not only endured but evolved. Adherents of the trend are turning their backs on the Gen Z preference for oversharing on social media, instead choosing not to broadcast their every thought, opinion, destination, location or meal as a way of reclaiming their lives from the tech behemoths that have a hand in every aspect of it.
“We live in a time of oversharing, where social media has become a two-headed beast of exhibitionism on the one hand, and voyeurism on the other,” says Juan Korkie, clinical psychologist at The LightHouse Arabia in Dubai. “When people are constantly sharing details and pictures of themselves, where they are and what they are doing. This is exhibitionism: behaviour that constantly attracts attention to oneself.”
'Users feel the need to share more and more'
“There is science behind why people need to broadcast aspects of their lives on social media,” says Racha Hijazi, clinical psychologist at Camali Clinic in Dubai for child and adult mental health.
“When people get likes for their posts, their brains fire off with dopamine, a neurotransmitter that stimulates pleasure. This behaviour is very rewarding for their systems and they feel the need to share more and more. The brain acts in a similar fashion in gambling and other addictive problems which explains why social media sharing can easily become addictive.”
Social media platforms are rapidly expanding into every aspect of our lives. No longer content with allowing us to share thoughts or photos, these days we shop on Instagram, build communities on Discord and get our news from Facebook’s algorithm. Earlier this year Twitter moved into finance, trialling its “Tip jar” feature that allows users to send money to their favourite accounts and users.
Tech companies have always maintained new functions and features are a reaction to what their audience want. Namely that it is no longer enough for the experience to be broadcast, but the minutiae – the how, what, who, when and why – must be too.
“Social media will continue to evolve as human behaviours do too, and there will be platforms to cater to those behaviours,” says social media consultant and strategist, Alexandra Maia, founder of House of Social. “Look at Discord. It transformed into an amazing community app; TikTok is a haven for creative individuals; the NFT world gives artists an amazing outlet. There is and will continue to be space for a huge diversity.”
What does it mean to “move in silence”?
Moving in silence on social media is about not broadcasting your every move. Turning off your location, holding off on announcing personal experiences and events, particularly ahead of time, and ultimately, not sharing your personal business with strangers.
“You would start to focus more on the moment and enjoy the activity at hand, whether it being having dinner at a restaurant or being at a family gathering,” says Hijazi of the knock-on effects of moving in silence.
“You would certainly focus more on face-to-face interactions. You would feel more in control of your own personal life, not having intruders or strangers cyberbullying you with hurtful or inappropriate comments. And surely, maintaining a true sense of who you are with less exposure and less need to have to conform to certain social images.”
Data analysis company Statista said of social media use over the past couple of years: “All leading social platforms seemed to thrive and reported monthly active usage growth in 2021, compared to 2019.”
While traffic, as well as the average time people spent on social media, was up throughout the pandemic, so too was the opportunity for users to consider their relationship with the omnipresent phone in their pocket, silently tracking and recording their every move.
With research readily available concerning the detrimental effects too much time spent online has on concentration, focus, happiness and self-esteem, savvy social media users are becoming more aware of the fine line between entertaining social engagement and having behaviours and emotions controlled or manipulated.
“For me the question is: ‘Why do we share, and what do we want to happen?’” says Maia. “A lot of people share because they are looking for validation – a quick feel-better boost, or to show off and flex – instead of working on themselves so they can feel more confident in a way that doesn’t depend on the number of likes or views an image or video got.”
“Those who spend hours a week scrolling through posts by others, liking, commenting … that person is vicariously living through the lives of others,” says Korkie. “Irrespective of whether [they are] oversharing or spending a lot of time watching other people, [they are] not present.”
Easy steps to move more silently
Taking steps to reduce your reliance on social media for a mood boost or self-validation are relatively easy and involve re-evaluating the relationship you have with your phone and social media.
“Stop recording life, live it instead,” says Korkie. “Stop trying to capture moments with a device, capture it with your full presence instead. Detox from sensationalism. Stop pursuing the intense, amazing, awesome and earth-shattering. Consciously move away from the addiction to intense experiences and develop your ability to find beauty and pleasure in the mundane.”
She also says: “Stop watching, get dirty. Step into your life, do new things, make mistakes, have your own experiences. These are your experiences and they are far more valuable than the lives of others.”
“Are we sharing because we want to bring value?” asks Maia of the question social media users could ask themselves. “Tell and share our stories, connect, make space for others, build communities, entertain, educate, inspire?
“You’ll have days or weeks when you’ll love to share and others when you don’t, it’s that simple. People need to do what feels right for them.”
Set-jetting on the Emerald Isle
Other shows filmed in Ireland include: Vikings (County Wicklow), The Fall (Belfast), Line of Duty (Belfast), Penny Dreadful (Dublin), Ripper Street (Dublin), Krypton (Belfast)
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
More from UAE Human Development Report:
RESULT
Manchester City 5 Swansea City 0
Man City: D Silva (12'), Sterling (16'), De Bruyne (54' ), B Silva (64' minutes), Jesus (88')
Rashid & Rajab
Director: Mohammed Saeed Harib
Stars: Shadi Alfons, Marwan Abdullah, Doaa Mostafa Ragab
Two stars out of five
More on Quran memorisation:
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
more from Janine di Giovanni
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 5 (Lenglet 2', Vidal 29', Messi 34', 75', Suarez 77')
Valladolid 1 (Kiko 15')
Company%20Profile
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Company%20profile
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Kill%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nikhil%20Nagesh%20Bhat%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Lakshya%2C%20Tanya%20Maniktala%2C%20Ashish%20Vidyarthi%2C%20Harsh%20Chhaya%2C%20Raghav%20Juyal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.5%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
