Bloated and zoned out by consumption of shitty food and customized, yet crappy, news/info/entertainment, we’ll live in our own little world where our device is our best friend and the only thing that truly “gets us”. Or are we there already? Our devices/apps/sites know what we’re into, what we’re interested in...what we’re thinking. It’s amazing technology but not being used for good, for the improvement of the human condition. For all the apps, all the social media outlets, all the info at our fingertips, everyone’s experience is so individualized that there is no way for me to know what you know. We may as well be living in two different worlds.
We are being turned into mindless robots that spend and consume at an astronomical pace, all the while becoming more alone, more isolated, more depressed...driving us to consume even more in an attempt to feel good. Think about it...years ago, we all read the same newspaper, watched one of the three available news shows, went to the library and looked up facts in the same encyclopedias as everyone else. Yes, our information was more limited, but are we any better off for having unlimited access to misinformation? Have we gained worldly wisdom or instead become pseudo-experts in echo chambers? We are on information overload, sitting in our own little silos. Our children have powerful computers in their hands, but are no smarter than us at their ages. Is my son teaching himself a new language at night in bed, thanks to his unlimited access to technology and information? No. He doesn’t have to learn the Dewey Decimal system, he won’t ever need to look at microfiche, his science teacher doesn’t show him film strips…yet, what good has technology done him, besides making him addicted to it? He was given a phone way too early. Eight years old. Divorce can make parents do stupid things, and putting a cell phone in the hands of an eight-year-old is a really stupid thing.
I found the above passage in my drafts. It was written October 29, 2018. Things haven’t improved in the past seven years. The son I was writing about was 13 at the time. He’s now 20, and thanks to COVID, he did half of high school over Zoom. I myself have accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Substack, Bluesky, Threads, X, and TikTok. It’s absolutely ridiculous.
We need to get out of the metaverse and go outside. And since I’m in the mood to hand out free advice, here goes:
Question everything. Question your parents, your preachers, your teachers. Question yourself. Examine what you think and what you believe in. Justify your positions. Be willing to say you don’t know. Be willing to say you were wrong.
Never stop learning. Read. Research. Don’t get your news from just one source. Get news from at least 4-5 different sources, including outlets outside the U.S. You’ve got the world in the palm of your hands—use that power and technology to expand your brain, not shrink it.
Go substance-free. I know that this is going to sound holier-than-thou. But I learned the hard way, and I can guarantee you that your life will be better if you can quit smoking, drinking, weed, drugs, vaping, or whatever the hell you’re addicted to (including food, sex, porn, shopping, and social media).
It will save you a shit ton of money.
Getting rid of all these crutches will force you to deal with life head-on. It also forces you to get real hobbies. Happy hour is not a hobby. Going outside for a smoke does not count as an activity.
You will be more productive and have more mental clarity without the haze of alcohol, weed, drugs, or hangovers.
You will be happier and healthier.
Note: I’m not talking about you lucky folks who can have a glass of wine, now and then. For me, it wasn’t worth drinking if I wasn’t going to have at least two or three. The truth is, if you’re getting drunk, you’re drinking too much. Alcohol is, quite literally, poison.
Look, no one wants unsolicited advice, but if ChatGPT is your best friend or therapist, I implore you to put all your devices in sleep mode and go for a walk. Start a book club. Join a kickball, softball, or bowling league. Protest. Volunteer. Talk to people. Learn their stories, and share yours. Build community. Create art. Find joy. Get strong. Love hard.
Twerk.
We are organizing to fight fascism over at No Small Act. People are coming out of their homes and meeting up and figuring out ways to fight the fascist regime taking over our country. Find your people online and then connect IRL. We can do this, but we need everyone to DO SOMETHING. There is no more status quo.