Back to Reality

As The Circle continues, Mae receives a strongly worded speech by her ex Mercer. Mercer brings to Mae's attention, a second time, how the Circle has essentially taken over her life. Mercer notices a drastic change in the way associates herself with people face-to-face and not over a laptop screen. Mae takes her a job a little too seriously.

The occasion of the speech was supposed to be the celebration on how much the health of Mae's father has improved. Instead, it turned out to be an intended eye-opener for Mae. Mae, slightly disoriented by several glasses of wine, acknowledged how beautiful the artwork Mercer made and decided to share it with the rest of her Circle community. She engaged herself so much in the comments received by the post that she could not even focus on having dinner with her parents and Mercer. Her mother was unappreciative of her actions at the table; ".. I just don't understand why you do that now. We're trying to enjoy a nice dinner" (Eggers 259). Mercer asked Mae several times to stop discussing the fame his artwork gained in just a couple of mins, however, Mae refused; she was not mentally hearing what Mercer was telling her to do. Mercer reacted by leaving the table and starting to go home.

The conversation held by Mercer and Mae was similar to one having a conversation with a brick wall. Mae experienced difficulty understanding how her connections with the Circle impaired her social skills. Mercer goes on to tell Mae, "you're not very interesting anymore" (Eggers 262). Mae gets so caught up in the world of social media that she is blinded by the fact that some people may not want to hear about it all the time. As a result, it is valid for people to assume that she does not know what is real and what is stimulated. Life consists of various social interactions between one another. It is essential that one is able to communicate socially in person and not just on social media. Mae demonstrates the idea that social media can negatively impact a persons' ability to be social; she "becomes utterly socially autistic" (Eggers 262).  Mercer also says 'The weird paradox is that you think you're at the center of things, and that makes your opinions more valuable, but you yourself are becoming less vibrant" (Eggers 262). It is great that someones' opinions can be valued so much, but what is that person like in person? People are more interested in the personality of a person; their beliefs, theirs likes and dislikes. Although all of that can be displayed on social media, it becomes more notable when it is seen in person because of how out of the norm it is.

Today, teens and adults are so conformed to the ideas of social media that it impacts their daily lives at school and at work. It becomes a necessity to know who is doing what, with who, and where. When that information is not available, it is the end of the world - to an extent. Twitter, Snap Chat, Instagram, and Facebook have become so technologically advanced, one can find anything they need to know about a person. They were designed to be so addictive and entertaining that people do not realize the effect is has on them. Also, people can develop problems with identity by trying to fit in with what seems the norm and not doing things for themselves.

The Circle is strongly based on social media. The workers at the Circle are forced be attentive and aware of everything regarding the Circle; they are required to share their thoughts and every day lives with their co-workers. Mae fails to take note of how the Circle may be more harmful to her life than she thinks.