SEETHER frontman Shaun Morgan has lamented the state of social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, saying he is “glad” he is not part of it.
Morgan addressed how social media has had a toxic effect on many facets of our society while chatting with Sara of the 93.3 WMMR radio station about SEETHER‘s upcoming album, “Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum”.
Speaking about how social media users are subjected to huge amounts of negative attention and trolling, especially in the era of “cancel culture,” Morgan said: “I just see a lot of people angry, angry people that, really, if you disagree with them, they just wanna destroy your life. And conversely, I see the constant striving of people for admiration and adulation from strangers, because then it sort of feeds their self-esteem and somehow makes them feel better about themselves. And I just don’t wanna live that way. I don’t care about what other people are doing on vacation, what they’re having for breakfast, what their lunch looks like, and I don’t, honestly, for the most part, care about random strangers’ opinions on things. My friends I do, and my family, of course, I do. But, really, I don’t exist in that ecosystem, and I’m very thankful for that.
“I had a Twitter [account], I think, in 2010 or ’11 — just after it came out; everyone was on it,” he revealed. “And I just didn’t have a thick enough skin to not take the bait. [Laughs] Then there were creepy people threatening my family. It went from something that was this communication tool to something that’s very dark and sinister very quickly, and it’s only snowballed. So I’m glad I’m not part of it. But it’s interesting to watch it from the outside and see how it influences teenagers.
“One of the most deadly things right now is the online bullying of teenagers, and you’re getting kids as young as eight and nine killing themselves because of what other people are saying online and through these social media tools.
“It’s a very, very toxic age that we’re living in, and I hate to use words that are thrown around all the time, but that’s really what it comes down to,” he added.
“I don’t know what the future looks like, but, for me, suddenly, it doesn’t look too bright. I’m trying to stay hopeful.”
“Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum” is due on August 28 via Fantasy Records. So far, two tracks have been made available from the effort, “Bruised And Bloodied” and “Dangerous”.
Translating to “If You Want Peace, Prepare For War”, “Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum” features 13 new tracks, including the aforementioned “Dangerous”. An animated music video for the track was created by noted Turkish director Mertcan Mertbilek (Santana, Ray Charles, Ravi Shankar, Elvis Costello).
“Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum” was produced by Morgan and engineered and mixed by Matt Hyde (DEFTONES, AFI) in Nashville from December 2019 through January 2020. The band is joined on the album by newest member Corey Lowery (ex-guitarist/vocalist for SAINT ASONIA and STUCK MOJO), SEETHER frontman Shaun Morgan‘s friend of 16 years, who also assistant-engineered the album.
