A short peek at an ill of technological development.
One of the more overlooked negative aspects of our modernised society seems to be the sheer pace at which technology has developed, especially over the previous generation or two.
We’ve gone from letters, to operators on phones, to instant access to anyone all over the world from a device in the pocket. From a few programs on television, more programs, cassettes, dvds, to streaming a multitude of series for hours on end at the click of a few buttons.
Technology has become such a fundamental instrument in how we engage in many activities, especially when it comes to entertainment and communication. We’ve become accustomed to this expectation of instant access, instant gratification mechanism. This modern comfort has seemingly begun to increasingly diminish the necessity of patience, a concept that has seeped into other aspects of our reality where it doesn’t quite gel, and made us short tempered and tad bit ill mannered.
All grand achievements in our lifetime will always require much patience. Things like wealth accumulation, relationships, mental health and well being, sculpting a good physique for example. Any human endeavour where technology is not the driving force behind its progress, patience remains very much a permanent cornerstone of it’s success, especially if it’s to stand the test of time.
But where all these developments gets particularly pernicious in my opinion, concerns the political arena. In days gone by, when the internet was just a fleeting idea, news was perhaps more local and a little less frequent. A greater span of time elapsed between news stories, which allows people more processing capacity and an opportunity for in depth analysis and as such, they’d feel more informed.
But now? Now that’s all gone. Now we’re in this information ether. We’ve become so interconnected, news is damn near 24/7. A barrage of information is hurled at you almost ceaselessly. In my opinion, we’ve become very susceptible to a technique I’ve called ” headline hoodwinking “, where little bits of information simply glance pass the eyes, with just enough visibility to get lost in the subconscious somewhere. Many are floating by, getting snippets of information, nothing in truly great depth or detail. There’s simply not enough time to process everything flying by us, all vying for our attention.
This is not exactly improving Western society, frankly. Couple the decreasing use of patience with the over bogged excesses of information, much of which is glowingly obvious propaganda at this point and you have a recipe for an inevitable disaster. We’re not becoming more informed, we’re in fact becoming stupider and more polarised as a consequence. Whether people will become more despondent and shut off, or overdose and blitzkrieg themselves into the abyss of a misshapen reality, where falsehoods reign and acknowledgement of anything remotely smacking of competence and uncomfortably truths are relegated to the realms of a political sphere the machine deems are full of evil characters, corruption and misdeeds. A realm to be ignored on the basis of it’s inferior moral virtue.
The answer to this percolating question? Well it’s anyone guess. For all I know, the flip a coin could decide this fate.
About The Author/s
