¿The Internet Only Society? - ¿A dystopian online culture?
I would hazard a guess which you, ladies and gentlemen, might as well. In which we may have arrived to a point of doing an experiment for ourselves as go out and see how many people want to make eye contact with us in public. I don't care where you are. But I would hazard a guess that most people don't want to make small talk at all.
They don't want that interaction. Not saying it doesn't exist. But I'd say most people walk down any street and you'll see how many people are walking around with earbuds in and shutting out the world. Yeah, myself included. Sometimes.
So, I would also guess that you might be doing this as well. And why would you want to interact with people? Unknown people on the streets? Let's be honest. It really sounds stupid if you really think about it. Why would you given the choice want to put up with the social stress of having to be presentable, cordial and polite and not awkward and why would you want to put up with the challenge of having to make someone else interested in what you're saying or at least pretend to be interested in what they're saying?
Why to do that? ¿Huh? And then, also don't forget the added challenge of making them believe you that you just cared about what they said. It's exhausting, isn't it?
When you have this little box in your pocket that can feed you with literally anything you've ever wanted to know. Flooding your brain with enough dopamine by presenting you with little videos and pictures one after another tailored to the very minute interests and attention until you have all those likes, comments and all of these rewards you are longing.
Yeah, they are rewarding you with praise. Praise from other people that you don't even know online. Then, why the hell would you want to look someone in the eye and suffer that horrible awkwardness in real life? Doesn't seem worth it right?
This used to be like a boomer complaint right? All these dang kids only glued on their phones all the time. But not this time. It has actually become a boomer problem as well.
We now don't want to interact with each other as much as we used to, because we tricked ourselves into thinking that that interaction is already coming from places on our phones. While really what we're doing is simply distracting ourselves and avoiding that undesired awkward social interaction that looks like we are no longer willing to endure anymore.
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This is strange to me. Perhaps we are some of the last generation that learned to live before there were these interactive screens, that have turned out not to allow interaction, but to require it, to require constant attention and management on screen. I live where 99% of the people I see do not have a phone in front of their eyes, where phones are actually used for phone calls, and I rarely see someone glued to their phone.
I don't carry a phone. I have been frequently chastised for this, had to knock on doors to borrow a phone, to walk for miles when getting stuck or breaking down innawoods. I don't mind these inconveniences, because data brokers are my most terrible enemy, and I leave them no trail of GPS data points to track me with. There's no camera nor microphone to surveil me by. No IP to track across the internet. I don't have online accounts to access services like banks, stores, or etc. Hive was one of the last accounts I created, before I adopted this strategy.
I will have no social credit score, because I will do all my transacting in person, with people like me that do not conduct their business online. I don't pay my phone bill, my rent, buy stuff with a card, whether online or at a retail store. I'm actually trying to eliminate my use of money, and have largely succeeded. Because I don't make money, I won't pay taxes. I won't leave a digital wake. I will be invisible to data brokers and the agents and agencies that are dependent on them. Because I see what is coming for those that are dependent on agents and agencies, on money and devices for their every need, I am learning to knap flint, and persistence hunt, and garden; to get water from natural sources, heat with natural, renewable sources, even fuel my vehicles with wood I don't need to buy.
I hope I am not alone. I will need allies after the fall. Most people look at me like I've sprouted an extra head out of my neck when such matters come up, when I can't look something up on Google, or do any of the things that require a phone with internet access to do. It's inconceivable to them not to take advantage of the technology, and they don't comprehend that the technology is taking advantage of them, or that they're dependent for their lives on it. This, as I said, in a place where I don't see people walking down the street glued to a phone, where the addiction is perhaps weakest in the civilized world.
It will be interesting to see who passes through the coming flames and comes out the other side.
Thanks!
I'm really glad that that's your case and you can still enjoy that experience. Which nowadays is a rarity. Although a rarity that, from what you tell me, is still possible to enjoy.
Oh no, definitely you are not alone. I myself have considered this many times before. The possibility of a peaceful and dignified retreat away of everything, in a place surrounded by a majestic and colorful harmony with nature. If it weren't for my low tolerance for cold, that I'm already very old and that I'm very bad at cooking, I probably would have already chosen Azerbaijan as one of my favorite destinations to spend my last days. But since you are telling me that you need allies after the fall. And if you actually do know how to cook well. Perhaps we could consider going to Azerbaijan together and live there for a while. Hahaha