We sometimes decry original, compelling content not getting its due, at least in the face of what we consider mundane, even inane. We lament that people pour out comments on pictures of cats or donuts or tweets about what you’re cooking for dinner and where you went on vacation. We can’t believe how such insipid content drives the behavior we so covet for our carefully crafted content.

But these are the tiny, familiar threads that tie us all together, mundane as they may seem.

So few of us truly share experiences, perspectives, or contexts. Our points of view are decidedly unique, which at times is amazing, and wonderful, and compelling. It’s also what can make it really complicated to find common ground. 

But the moments where we can all see a bit of each other in the joy of a frosted chocolate is more than just marveling at the mundane or lobotomizing our online experiences. It’s a way of looking at that person waaaaay over there, on the other side of the screen, and seeing ourself just the tiniest bit in the reflection. It’s a moment of not dwelling on the complex, heady things that we all have to deal with in our lives, and instead sharing something easy, lighthearted, or comfortably familiar. It’s finding someplace where we know for sure, even for a moment, that we relate and belong.

The compelling, the arresting, the artful wouldn’t nearly be so if it weren’t for the contrast with donut pictures of the world.

I’m okay with donuts in my stream, and the comments they get. Sometimes, in the midst of war and riots and politics and hate and economic despair and even internet grandstanding, a few sprinkles and pink frosting might be just the levity we need.

image credit: Valerie Reneé