"There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed." - 1984
Sometimes I feel like if 1984, Gatica and Idiocracy had a love child... it would be somewhere in the vicinity of where society is headed. Maybe the book 1984 was only 100 years too early. Recently, it seems this subject has come up often. Within the past couple weeks, I've come to realize how scary it is that we are SO reliant on technology. The little simplicities of life are becoming extinct. Since its been brought up in several ways recently in my life, I'll just outline them one by one.
1. Joel and I don't watch TV... as in, I have gone a year without turning on the TV for anything other than DVD's. Now, the idea of TV seems absurd. (Although, i will confess boredom often takes me to ABC.com to catch episodes of LOST and Samantha Who?) It is a blessing and a curse you could say. It's negative in the fact that we never have a clue as to what is going on in the world (other than listening to Loveline and x96's Morning show, which are obviously not great sources of news). But it is a blessing in the fact that it feels like a sense of freedom. Call me ignorant if you wish, but it is the MOST surprising feeling of rebellion. I never worry about things that are out of my control and broadcast across the various heavily influenced and often biased media networks. I don't stress if i'm not home in time for a certain show and it keeps the little joys in life in perspective. A sense of finding your own daily enjoyment, relaxation, suspense, or entertainment without having someone spoon feed you while you zone out. I think the thing I find the BEST about never watching TV is you become so much less concerned with things. For example, I have NO idea who's dating who, the latest fashion, the new coolest car, or most advanced form of beauty treatment. All that becomes almost hilarious.
2. Joel and I went to the Paramore / Jimmy Eat World show in Orem last week. The crowd had two types of fans. Half the room full of pre-teen/ teen girls with identical blonde/brown streaked straight hair. Tight brightly colored t-shirts and usually one accessory that would set them "apart" from the rest of the crowd. The other half of the room was early twenties to early thirties. They were mostly dressed very basic and were much more individually distinctive. During Paramore, the younger half jumped around, had cameras blinding and were making us all wish we had earplugs to deafen their piercing screams. The older half stood patiently watching while all this was going on. When Jimmy Eat World was on stage, the crowd shifted. Older half stood at the edge of their seats, swayed their bodies, and sang out of tune as loudly as they could. The younger half generally ignored the band and sat texting whatever friend was not at the show, i'm sure most of them were picture texts. Neither of these crowds were better "fans" then the other. The floor area was packed and bouncing with excitement during the length of both bands.
Now I'm sure you're wondering why I am rambling on and what this has to do with technology. Well towards the end of the Paramore set, the singer told everyone to lift up their lighters or phones and illuminate the room. Hundreds of phones went up in the air and the entire arena was thick with a bright blue-ish/white glow. In the midst of the sea of cell phones was 8 tiny orange flickers... glowing just warm enough to stand out. That's right 8! I counted. After the show I brought it up to Joel and he said he noticed it too. When was the SHIFT when it was such a common occurrence to be using a form of a telephone during a concert that it became a way of showing appreciation.... The time when having a lighter at a show was the rarity.
3. On the way to California this weekend, Jen and I were in a conversation about random things. She brought up that her and a friend had discussed how many years it will be until writing utensils are basically obsolete and old fashioned. She said she wouldn't be surprised if computers were adopted earlier in education. When will be the time they use computerized writing pads instead of paper? She said she doesn't think it will be long before everything is computerized. It got me to thinking and made me realize how weird it was that I had already experienced exactly what she was talking about.
Several of my college courses were online courses. Sophomore year, the teacher just had a website that displayed lessons and had an email address to email your papers to. Junior year, the teacher sent us PDF's and a website hosted online quizzes that were graded automatically and sent to our professor. Senior year, I had to purchase an electronic text book with a credit card that was then provided to me through a series of passwords. (I thought it seemed quite dumb, but made me hope somewhere in the world I was saving a tree or two). The tests, quizzes, etc were timed websites that gave you only a certain amount of time to answer each question. You had to submit each question individually which in turn showed you whether you had answered correctly or not before going on to the next question. It had all sorts of processes to keep you from changing an answer etc. It not only graded your work instantly but showed you how it affected your overall grade at the end of each session.
We have truly seen a monumental shift in our society. Things are SO different from how they were a mere 10 years ago. The idea that someone's only telephone would be at home has become a weird concept to me. I asked Jen in that conversation how anyone ever got a hold of eachother "back then." (Even though, I still have several of my high school friends' home numbers memorized from those days). Now, 11 year olds are equipped with cell phones. Long gone are the days of playing Oregon Trail, Frogger, or dealing with DOS. And flying at high speed toward us are the days where you can take an entire college course without ever leaving your bedroom, form an entire friendship/business deal without even hearing that person's voice, and so many other things that have now become mundane parts of every day life.
And if any of you haven't seen IDIOCRACY you should. It is one of the dumbest movies I have ever watched but you'll be surprised how much you think about it on a regular basis after you watch it. I swear you will :)
