The Reactive Culture

My kiddo has a day off from school and enjoys beginning their morning with YouTube. I can't quite argue, I spent a bit of time watching the news. The difference I hope we encounter is that kiddo is making choices about what is put in front of those eyes and I am passively listening to what people deem is worthy of delivering from news desks. 

As I am fluttering around, I listen for content. I enter the room and ask:
Me: Are you watching someone else watch a video and react to it?
Kiddo: Yeah.
Me: Hmm...
Kiddo: And, now you're watching me react to a video that they are reacting to watching.

Points for meta-awareness! And...a question immediately emerged: Are we merely a reactive society? Our opinions & judgments seem to be the way culture contributes here in America. Except, there has to be someone doing the "thing" in which we all are entitled to care about, speak about, rip on, etc. Or, are the things just folks doing life? I think about my social media feeds and the channels on YouTube that are literally called: so-and-so reacts or that's the purpose of their channel: reacting. And, I've noticed...the bigger the reactions, the better the audience numbers. Hype ensues and I see the impact in my kiddo...reactions are expressed in meme form: "This is me when I see something cringy" (stands feet apart, hands lifted to the waistline with palms facing up, crinkled up nose and mouth and eyes narrowing)." Also in kiddo's emotional responses, cue my folks saying, "you're making a mountain out of a molehill!" I have my own cringy reaction to that...but, I see the point...everything is "big" or you might not get noticed.

Emoji's, trolling commentators, memes, channels...all ripe for reaction while watching others live life. 

Can we try interacting?