EVADING THE REAL: A STUDY OF SALINGER AND THE WORLD OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Abstract

The speed at which the world is changing is overwhelming.  Change  here implies the mental and technological developments that are moving so fast that it is hard to keep up. It is no longer a surprise that people are losing their own true self in a world of perfect projected images. The virtual world or the world online has completely taken over our lives. Applications have been designed for even smallest of functions. But what is more disastrous is that apps have been designed to keep you busy in activities that are of no consequence to the individual or the society per se. In fact these are counterproductive to the human life and are depriving us of the real value of our life. Technology , with all its conveniences and positive impact on lives has led us away from our original persona.The thoughts we share and the pictures we present are very recognisable for lack of originality. Everyone wants to look the way the perfect man or a perfect woman looks. But the travesty with the present populace is that we have not limited ourselves to merely the external looks but even our views and opinions have become coloured to suit the accepted norms. This is a direct threat to the originality and the creativity of the eclectic societies we inhabit. The world thrives on change, and change is the only thing that has the power to improve us. A society and especially the youth that accepts the widely accepted and doesn’t voice new ideas is as good as dead. In this paper we’ll do a re reading of The Catcher in the Rye in this new context and compare the author’s thoughts with their resonance in the contemporary world.