Technology has put a tax on your social life
Technology is often praised for incubating our connectivity, enhancing our social networks and essentially encouraging us to talk to — and maintain — the people and relationships in our lives. It’s arguable, that as an individual, we have more connections with other people than ever before in history and it’s certainly arguable that we are beginning to converse far more than ever before in history, thanks to instantaneous messaging.
Like most things in our capitalist society, commerce triumphs, and its becoming rapidly apparent that the technology firms are increasingly commercialising our ability to communicate, talk and socialise; therefore commercialising a fundamental human-behaviour, right? To put it into simple terms, corporate giants now have us harnessed in a web of smart-phones, iMessaging and digital converse, features of modern society that are apparently vital to maintaining every single one of your relationships; professional, personal and private. Basically, without digital conversations we’d be susceptible to slipping into social alienation, or isolation. Picture this, if you stopped messaging your friends/partners/family they’d believe something was wrong, or you no longer had the capacity to maintain the level of relationship they expect, even if that wasn’t your intention. Technology has placed a pressure gauge on our human-relationships, meaning the level of contact expect is just rising and rising.
What’s the point here? Well, the point is this; the ‘pressure’ discussed in the previous paragraph benefits those in control, if we’re pressured, we’re panicked and when panicked, we do what we’re guided to do. To maintain your said relationships, you must also possess compatible technology i.e. you couldn’t Whatsapp your friend with an iPhone from a 1990’s Nokia, and that’s giving you an example on the broad spectrum. Most consumers now feel the need to be on a technological par with their social circles, i.e. having completely compatible technology with those they love. For example, it’s easier to have an iPhone if all of those around you also own one. Essentially what i’m saying, is that you’re now not updating your technology for the latest features or applications, we’re now subconsciously updating our devices because we need to, we must do because we need to stay in contact and maximise our relationships with those we love. They have us. Scary, right?
Really think about it. Without the developments in connectivity technology, would we really be worse off? Before iMessage, before even email, we still communicated efficiently, we were still as relatively satisfied, as relatively happy, if not more so than with this constant thirst for communication hanging over us.
My final point. How do the corporate guys benefit from all of this? If you haven’t pieced it together already, it’s simple. We’re on a downward, slippery slope of consumerism. Each year we must update our technology to remain content, forget improving your lifestyle, we now buy our technology to stay level, to stay in touch with those that we need to but what’s most interesting is that prior to our technological advances, we didn’t need it at all? We’re being taxed on a basic human desire, all for the financial gain of those at the top.
RH
