Immortality in the age of YouTube

From the days of ancient Egypt humans have been seeking immortality. While we work on medical advancements in this direction true immortality remains illusive. There is another type of immortality and it is the kind that you get when your image and personality is etched into long lasting media. From rocks and paper to hard drives we record our likeness for the world to remember. When everyone is immortal who will be remembered?

Unless the internet changes massively or ceases to exist the activity of individuals will be continue to be uploaded in mass. It has become so easy for anyone to create semi-permanent reflections of their lives that the value of each reflection, while long lasting, is reduced. We are no longer limited to the ruling class as the sole representative of humanities achievements and record keeping. The statues and memoirs of long past rulers will not be the only record past on. But with such access to the future minds of humans the lasting impressions we leave online are increasingly trivial.

Forums such as YouTube help us immortalize our thoughts and visages for the world to see and with more views comes more notoriety and "fame". While some people will be remembered by more people it is only the truly revolutionary, visionary and repugnant that will that live on in the minds of future humans. This kind of immortality can not be gained by simply talking into a camera on YouTube. To be truly immortal one must be immense.

But why do we seek immortality? I think it is a relative of the need to reproduce. The ultimate driving force for humans is the need to reproduce our genes and if done successfully the genes are what become immortal. So it seems that our lust for immortality is born from our deepest primordial desires. Although it is a lofty goal that moves many to great deeds both good and bad it is really an illusion and when we actually die we no longer care about how many views our YouTube channels acquire.

So what's the point? The point, may be, that people are motivated by those who came before them that made lasting impressions which gives them the notion that they too can live on in the records and memories passed down. We are frantic to create lasting copies of ourselves and the more copies we make the harder it is for the world to erase our mark. Our children, art, businesses, and work all lead to nothing if nothing remains after we die, and we all die. The Buddhists believe pain comes from desire but so does greatness and mediocrity.