#SochiProblems: How 2014 Olympics Show That Saving Face in the Digital World Has Become Impossible

Technology has warped the concept of time in a manner both striking and ever-present.  Events can be broadcasted live around the world; conversations can be held across continents; news can be transmitted in an instant.  And while most tech-savvy citizens would agree that such technological innovations have improved the quality of living, some arguments could be raised to the contrary.

For example:

If, say, you are Russian (particularly the leader of Russia) and your country is hosting the 2014 Olympics, and during the opening ceremony, while attempting to display technological and aesthetic prowess, the following occurs:

which immediately warranted the creation of parodies:

so...

what is a self-respecting Russian supposed to do?

Cover-up?  Insert previously recorded footage of all five rings functioning properly to replace the live feed?  Nope.  Due to the presence of cameras and smart phones, audience members displayed the rings in their full, honest splendor, and made sure the rest of the world could view it as well.  

Dispose of the evidence?  Not without witnesses.  One snowflake sleuth succeeded in  snapping and sharing a shot of the shoddy structure:     

Even the non-broadcasted flops are put on the world stage.  Enter #SochiProblems: a hashtag which became a trend which evolved into the full-blown @SochiProblems handle, all before a pair of skis touched the snow.

To give a brief example of the depth and breadth of said account, here are a few Tweets tagged #SochiProblems:

While most of these posts provide a satirical stab at the former Soviet Union, news sources such as EuroNews point out that such problems illuminate "overarching issues" such as the plethora of security risks, health issues, and event course dangers.  But regardless of the issues, one aspect remains the same—you can't run, and you can't hide, Sochi.