Heard of it?
It’s the latest app that tracks where you are in real time. (Do we need yet another app tracking my every move?) When another user passes your current location, their profile shows up in your feed and you can then talk to each other if you mutually “Like” each other. Which is . . . ummm . . . supposed to make something “Happn!”
Get it?
I don’t.
Whatever happened to just walking down the street and simply saying, “Hello”?
Whatever happened to the mystery of being amongst strangers without having to hide behind our phones?
Whatever happened to the excitement of being surprised by the sudden unexpectedness of the moment and all the weird things that can come out of it? Like real connection. Which might mean real rejection.
Apps are making us risk averse. Risk is exactly what we need in order to be curious, creative, alive artists and human beings.
Somewhat ironically Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is quoted as saying, “The biggest risk is not taking any risk.”
Saying hello.
Smiling at someone.
Putting your life-line down (your phone).
Walking up to someone and introducing yourself.
You’re going to have to risk time and time again when you audition, when you have to connect with your co-star, when you’re working on material that far exceeds your comfort zone.
Lose the app and get into the moment. That’s where things are really “happening.”
Step into the mystery of life that goes beyond digits and data and search engine optimization analytics that can’t predict the wonderful weirdness called human variability. Thank Gawd there’s that. Last I looked we’re still not robots, so we’ve got some time before that “happn’s.”