Remote work, aka Screen Work, was the last straw. I’ve replaced my black mirror with a good old stupid phone. Hereby is the testimony of a weaned addict, who wishes to pass on the gospel.
Don’t give them (guns) screens!
Even before the restrictions were placed on workplaces and educational institutions, it seemed that our lives were slowly being taken hostage by millions of flickering LED lights. In these virtual days, Steve Jobs’ controversial legacy is already surrounding us on all fronts. Just as a child who was caught smoking a cigarette and was forced by his parents to smoke a whole pack, so humanity was forced to smoke this whole pack of technology. And this smoke screen is stuffy.
Needless to state the multitude of research evidence, the impact of notification alerts on dopamine release in the brain, or the damage in interpersonal communication (especially for children).
Studies show that reading studies does not change anything.
There is no study more useful than our children’s quick finger on the Fortnight keyboard, the enslavement to WhatsApp groups, the zoom conference room set up in every home. Yes, the Ministry of Education is also going out of its way to copy the same anachronistic method, into an even smaller square than the classroom. The show must go on.
We don’t need research to understand that we are never really alone anymore, and never really together. But like all addicts in human history, we deny, repress, and cling to every possible altar in order to postpone taking the necessary step. What would we do without Waze?
From convenience to presence
The path can be found without Waze. Calculate your route on the computer before leaving the house, use a map if necessary, and if there is no choice – stop and ask a kind person on the way, god forbid. Sometimes you lose 15 minutes. What do you gain? A short conversation with a person you would’ve never talk to, a real acquaintance with a new path and an improvement in orientation. Abandon the blue car that follows a purple line in favor of the trees, the smiles and the blue-purple sky.
In other words, giving up convenience in favor of presence. And that’s true for any app – the social networks are left on the computer, where they belong. The same goes for e-mail and even WhatsApp (although Mark Zuckerberg makes it difficult for unclear reasons – there is a way to connect to WhatsApp only through the computer). And what do you do in case of emergency? That what we have the Nokia for. My love.
Beyond all the practical arrangements, awaits the joy of the present, the simple and sweet freedom that lies in unavailability. Beware, it can be addictive.
The dystopia is already here
The big screen predicts a dark technological future for several decades. This is the future of the black mirror, of brain chips, big brother and virtual reality. In this context, there are two important things that need to be understood: First, as in any human trend throughout history, parallel to the monarchy of technology, the counter-movement will revolt. Who knows, it might even be worth investing in Nokia shares.
Second: In practice, we are very far from those ominous predictions. One can discuss the days when we’ll upload the human consciousness to the cloud and live forever. Meanwhile, in reality, no one has yet been able to produce a toaster from which you can pull the toast out without risking an electric shock.
The dystopia is not in the dark and distant future that awaits somewhere; The dystopia is already here.
Speculation about future chip dystopia is distracting us from the Fortnight children dystopia, the fastest-draw-in-the-west-as-soon-as-a-friend-gets-up-to-go-to-the-toilet-in-a-restaurant dystopia, the dystopia that is Steve Jobs’ true legacy.
The responsible adults of this world must get rid of their pet screen, and the sooner the better. If not for themselves, then at least for the children.
Concluding question: On which device did you read this text?