As a 26-year-old, I grew up with the internet, and in many ways, I’m glad for it. Early social media opened me up to new perspectives outside of my small town. I learned about queer and trans identities through Tumblr before I ever met people with these identities in real life. Online discourse about racism, abortion, and feminism gave me a more meaningful social education than public school ever did. I am the person I am because of the internet, because of technology, but the digital landscape looks much different today than it did a decade ago, and it makes me incredibly sad to realize I feel nostalgic about social media and early tech.
These days, I’m a tech cynic. I think Teslas and Cybertrucks are dangerous and ugly and all self-driving cars are stupid. I wouldn’t go to the moon if you paid me, and I frankly think space exploration is a ridiculous waste of resources in a world where people don’t have homes. I hate transhumanism (the philosophical advocacy for the use of technology to “enhance” the human body and mind). I barely know how artificial intelligence works, so I don’t think the spontaneous generation of mediocre art or writing is impressive in the slightest. I think the 24/7 news cycle is a detriment to people’s minds and mental health, social media addiction is destroying people’s grasp on nuance, and the rising popularity of influencers is only creating a more consumption-obsessed culture that regards people as brands instead of humans.
I know I rely on technology like agriculture, medicine, and the internet to function and thrive, but this cycle of tech cynicism plagues me. I fear that we have gone too far, and every time I see some Silicon Valley bro wax poetic about crypto and NFTs and AI, I am filled with dread.
While I think dread and hopelessness are wholly unproductive and destructive emotions to ruminate on, they are inevitable emotions nonetheless, and to my credit, my cynicism is not completely unfounded. Social media companies are in the business of mining and selling our data and pretending to facilitate real social connection. AI is an absolute detriment to the environment. Elon Musk is a Trump-worshipping bigot who turned Twitter into little more than a hotbed for right-wing bullshit. It makes sense for me to think that technology is facilitating genuine danger; in many ways, it is.
These feelings can be overwhelming, and just like the general political and environmental landscape, it’s easy for the realities of technology to swirl into a cyclone of cynicism, consuming us.
When I become overwhelmed by the digital world and all the things I hate about it, I offer myself this simple reminder, which you may also need right now: the real world is still out there. Feel the sunshine on your face, make a friend actually laugh out loud, hug a loved one, immerse yourself in that which is tangible and remember this is the stuff that really matters. We are still lucky enough to have it; enjoy. In other words, as internet folk are wont to say: go touch grass!