Okay, I apologize for the subject title. I'm not creative enough to do more than a pastiche of Joy Division, and I don't even like them. Anyway, here goes:
Walking today with my dad, I thought of something regarding humanity in general. Perhaps my musings were brought on by my good mood--a rarity for me this day and age, and probably induced by some meds I am taking for depression... the topic of which is a seperate entry in and of itself, one which I don't wish to indulge in... suffice it to say, I have a history of dealing with depression, and these past several months have been extremely difficult, and although I hate medication and the concept of taking medication, I have found that it's helping me to see life in less of a grayscale.
But I digress. Back on topic.
I thought of how the internet, although giving the ability for others to communicate instantaneously no matter what the distance, has not helped us as a race get together better but deadened us to each others' lives.
It's nothing new. There are countless theories about how technologies push us apart rather than bring us together. I just happened to be thinking on the subject on my walk.
Think about it. For the less social of humanity, a false outlet has been created; one that allows the shy to be more social in text, but virtually unlettered and illiterate, to use reading terminology, in speech and social interaction. I went through adolescence somewhat this way; it's hard to even believe that I made friends in high school.
In come message boards. Forums. Freedom to post whatever opinion you want on whatever topic. But ah, there is where our mutually assured hatred begins, in opinions. Opinions over the stupidest shit. Name calling, "flame warz," however you want to term it. Pointless bickering over stupid shit. The anonymity of posting whatever you want under an ersatz sobriquet giving a blank, faceless attacker spewing out misspelled curses and insults.
Our capacity for patience, at least in the United States, is almost virtually nonexistent. In New Mexico it's not nearly as bad as New York, where a minute is measured pretty much in one snap of the fingers. I suppose the find art of pen pal-ing is dead; what with instant messengering (not even email suffices anymore; it seems we lost the patience for that, too). Who wants to wait for a painstakingly handwritten letter (painstaking this day and age, I suppose, for anyone to pick up a pen and write more than a few sentences).
I'm rambling, I guess. But I think that technology--in this instance, the internet--has not brought us together but taught us to hate each other better.
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