I was looking for a place or space to curate my thoughts – then I remembered that I created this space several years ago (and am still paying for it monthly like a gym membership!).

In a world where one’s online presence can create so many opportunities, it feels almost uneconomical not to share your views freely. I’ve been the person who shared my life on X (Twitter), and in return I had projects crowdfunded by the public, paid to provide an insight into the world of stem cells to the layman, my small business was booming, and I was granted awards for contributions and projects that would have otherwise been invisible to the world.

The pandemic (whilst dreary) was also a pivotal time for social media – a time when those who would ordinarily be consumed by their routine 9-5s were on social media or networking platforms looking to form connections. (Yes, I myself was fairly consumed by the “networking” platform called Animal Crossing New Horizons.) As a means to connect, people picked up hobbies and shared them online to create little communities. These communities which seem akin to tribal communities that was founded with good intentions have grown into entire civilisations where everything is monetized and an aristocracy is born.

It was during the pandemic that I felt comfortable taking a step back from the spotlight as in-person engagements significantly subsided. It felt natural and comfortable as I retreat into familiar territory surrounded by those who have known me before all the publicity.

Five years later (after the downfall of Twitter and the rise of Tiktok and LinkedIn), I find myself wondering as I consider writing this post and sharing it…

“Where has my courage gone?“

“Why is the idea that billions of people can view what you share and freely speak their mind so daunting?”

“Why is cancel culture so unforgiving?”

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This opinion piece is written in an open-ended neutral style to provoke thoughts.

I enjoy discussions on sociology, philosophy, psychology and anything in between.