Image Projection vs. Human Connection

From World Magazine, an excellent critique of our times by Janie B. Cheaney, Tragically Famous: Image Projection is a Very Poor Second for Connection. An excerpt:

There was a time when fame meant success: military victory, artistic accomplishment, scientific achievement, “Hail to the Chief.” It came with cheers, banners, and confetti. A famous man was preceded by his reputation; his deeds were known better than his face. But a significant shift occurred around the turn of the 20th century. In 1915, the most famous man in the world was not a king or conqueror. He was a commoner associated with thwarted ambitions: Charlie Chaplin.

…Meanwhile, another era begins: from the Public Face to Facebook. If fame consists of image projection, Andy Warhol’s prediction (“In the future, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes”) seems spookily relevant. Much of the projection via social networking sites and webcams is harmless, but it spreads us wide and thin. While deciding what to share with our public we’re also editing ourselves, taking online quizzes to determine our Most Compatible Historical Era or Star Wars character. But true self-knowledge remains as elusive as ever. We see not only others, but also ourselves, “as through a glass darkly.”