In big cities, many wealthy people live in a bubble. For urban elites (people with high-paying jobs, university degrees and power), life is comfortable. They don’t have to worry about their next rent payment or electricity bill. This comfort is followed by an invisible wall. This wall is backed by social media and the internet. The algorithm shows you exactly what you want to see. It shows you content based on your preferences. If your mutuals are wealthy, your feed will likely be full of overpriced international trips or the latest technology trends. You will always be in a race to be a step ahead of others in terms of extravagance.
On the contrary, you will rarely see content about not having enough money for food to eat or the fear of losing your job. Similarly, the petrol price hike won’t affect people who drink overpriced coffee every day. But it will affect the Foodpanda riders who have to work on their vehicles. The wealthy might feel what is termed as “FOMO,” the fear of missing out on things like not using the latest model of iPhone as their friends do. The other side of the wall shows a person still using an old keypad mobile that isn’t compatible with so many things anymore.
This creates a wall between the two groups. For one, the economy will be great as stock prices go up. But for the other, it is terrible, as it buys less food than last year. Both are right, but they are looking at different realities. The wealthy may narrate, “If you work hard enough, you’ll become rich.” That is true to some extent, but it isn’t always the case. Some may be pushed down by others just because they have links.
The main problem is that the “urban elites” mainly control the narrative. The big TV platforms and newspapers are all controlled by them, and so is the opinion presented to the public. The media portrays that basic necessities like sugar and flour remain affordable to the poorest families, but in reality, the vast majority of sugar production in Pakistan is owned by powerful politicians and industrial elites. Public tax money is used to provide immense subsidies to export sugar. This may be framed as a boost to the national economy, but the cash directly goes into the pockets of “ultra-wealthy” mill owners. When domestic supplies drop, the same very elite cartel then hoards the local supply to create fake shortages. This forces people to buy basic food items at double the rate.
Living in these chambers makes you forget that your life is a privilege for most. The life outside gated communities is a lot different from the one they live in. The solution is to fix this by not only feeling empathetic but also by taking action. This means actually listening to the needs of society and its people. Only then will the wall be demolished.