So, lately there is quite a stir in the world because Apple released this new $3,500 VR headset and everybody's talking about how that's going to be the game changer.

Without a doubt, new technology is cool! With that said, I sometimes have to wonder about the deeper and long-term implications of some of the things we invent for ourselves.

I don't say this as some kind of Luddite who's afraid of new technology, I say it merely as a point of curiosity and as somebody who likes to observe metatrends and how they affect greater society.

I also like to follow financial news and economics and stuff like that, and one of the interesting things about Apple as one of the largest companies on the planet is that they — along with maybe a dozen other large technology companies — pretty much represent the only thing that is going upwards in terms of profits and influence in a world where most other companies are actually struggling.

These musings aren't about "the evils of AI" or technology, but about the somewhat dubious reality that we end up with a handful of companies that are effectively (and increasingly) controlling most of the world by catering to people's need to have a constant dopamine fix.

Let's be real here, the average person already spends about six hours a day doing something on their phone, and maybe an additional three to four hours a day being on their computers. When we create environments that make it even less appealing to be present in your own life where is that going to take society as a whole?

Are we just going to enter semi-vegetative states where we sit at home and get fundamental nutrients pumped into our bodies via a tube in our arms? And we're going to wear a bag that sends our waste materials directly down the sewer? We never have to leave our recliners or take the headset off?

Sure, I can hear lots of people say "oh that's never going to happen!"

But how far away are we really from a situation along those lines? Sci-fi writers have already run that storyline for a good 30-40 years.

Meanwhile, life as it exists around us right now is increasingly tedious and difficult for people to handle so wouldn't it be nice to just be able to put on a headset and forget that "external" life actually exists?

Moreover, wouldn't it be nice to just hand over all responsibility to one or two companies that provide all the services to us, leading us to a world with a small handful of people who live in uber-luxury in "real" life, with the vast majority of humanity essentially being... what was that movie called, again?

Again, the problem isn't really about technology, but about the potential technology being controlled by one or two organization, leading towards a reality in which there are only "the officially approved" options.

Are we ready for Apple to control the content of your entire world? And I don't just mean that as a hypothetical in which Apple is a metaphor for "large corporation," but the company in a literal sense... do they represent a corporate culture, philosophy and ethics base that you want to invite to live in your brain?

Which color pill are you going to take?

Thanks for reading and have a great Sunday!

Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation! I do my best to answer comments, even if it sometimes takes a few days!

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Created at 2023-06-11 00:24 PST
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