h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

For me modern life represents complete and total alienation.

We might be technology rich, but at what cost?

I have lot of technology to entertain me and keep me compnay(Internet, X Box, TV, hi fi). I can shift time and space with a digital camcorder. I can communicate instantly with people on the other side of the world if I want (telephone, Internet). I can BE on the other side of the world in a relatively short time (air travel). I don;t even have to leave the house to do some shopping!

But none of it compensates for living in a community of extended friends and family. The 'golden age' that is often alluded to.

But maybe it wasn't golden. Maybe people were sick of intereference from others in private affairs. Maybe we live the utopian dreams of our predecessors?


(This is really depressing for a Friday afternoon)

Quotation; "But none of it compensates for living in a community of extended friends and family".

I agree with that.


That problem relates to our Western believe that we can BUY everyting;
that basic emotional needs can instantly be fulfilled by shopping.
And that is a great lie.
And thechnology plays its smooth part in it.

But I would never want to live without a computer or television.
It really enriches my live.

I thought when I found Alienation that I would be able to read all about the classic 1988 James Caan movie. Now it is Friday morning here and I am also depressed.

I actually wrote a sociology paper once upon a time about this very subject and the effects that technology has had on our interaction. It seems as cell phones and the internet become more and more prevalent we are slowly losing some of our more deeply rooted societal norms. Once I remember when I could meet someone and have an intelligent conversation while still able to make eye contact with them. Now with technology the chances of meeting someone face to face become more and more diminished.

We used to go out to the grocery store and talk with the clerk, the butcher, etc. Now we can order all our groceries online and have them delivered. I remember going to the bank and speaking with a teller, who more often then not, actually knew my name! Now with the advent of online banking we do not ever need to speak with another person again. In the rare occurence that we do visit a bank branch I can guarantee that the tellers most probably won't know our names.

We have now 'instant freeze dried' communication. Text messaging, smileys , internet chat, e-mail, ICQ, MSN, AOL, need I continue? We have become adept at short sentences and even shorter with the use of acronyms. LOL, ROFL, LMAO, BRB, CUL8R, are becoming so recognizable that I would be surprised to not find them in the dictionary soon. The internet has created its own form of regional dialect which, being a global engine, is fueled by millions of users.

Personally I miss being able to see a person smile when I am talking with them. I would much rather hear the sound of a person voice an see a mischievous twinkle in their eye then to read about it on my glowing 'communication' screen.

Although this is the case, I am not going to be a proponent of less technology. Far from it. I love technology and the simplifying that it manages to create in our lives. Used correctly work should not take us as long and we should have more free time to socialize with our friends and family face to face.

Next time you're on the computer keep track of your time. Spend at least two minutes for every one spent on the computer with someone that you care about. Time is precious, and love is important, but those are another topic entirely.

cheers,
Kaoswonder

I wish it were as easy to find people in real life who share my interests, and are capable of holding an intelligent conversation, as it is online.

I find that having other people around (and, as someone living in college accommodation, I constantly do) can in fact increase one's sense of alienation/isolation; I find myself constantly reminded of how few people there seem to be on my particular wavelength. At least on the internet, populated by people from all over the world, one can usually find _someone_ with a vaguely similar outlook on life; although even here I continually run into people with whom I am ultimately unable to reach understanding.

Maybe this is just my experience; but I surely can't be the only one who finds interaction with people at least as problematic as technology.

You people are proving what I've been thinking and living for almost 2 years. We moved into the city from a larger town. I had technology before - the internet, TV (but no cable) washer and dryer, and microwave. We had to move to the city for work, and are in a basement apartment - still have the internet, still have TV(but no cable), the microwave had to be sold - no room for it in the apartment. I walk to work, through shear stubbornness and cheapness, I sit at a computer screen all day with a headset on, and walk home again at 4:00. We have access to concerts, live theatre, the ballet and symphony in the city, none of which we can afford. What this has done to me, anyway, is I can't breathe here. I feel shut in and stifled. I can't create. The ideas are there, but I just can't do it.

What we crave is a country lifestyle: small town, old house, garden, wood stove, or at least a fireplace, land and trees around us. As for technology - internet, TV(but no cable). We crave walking down Main Street and having people nod, smile and say hello, arguing local politics in the coffee shop, having a neighbour drop in, just because they saw the washing hanging out and knew we must be home. What about jobs? Whatever it takes to keep the wolf from the door, just simpler, more personal, less hassle and hustle-bustle. Technology may be a great time-saver, but its not worth the personal cost.

Impressing to read this from you.

Keep going,


Greatings from Amsterdam

Well, smalltalk is kinda boring. Most times you meet a stranger you exchange names and perhaps occupations, then end up talking about the weather. News is more interesting, but now some people don't even pay much attention to it. Perhaps this is just me. Maybe I'm just not enthusiastic enough about my interests to mention them to random strangers before we both decide to go our separate ways.

It's like meeting people in an elevator. You know you're only going to be able to talk to them for a minute or so tops, and then you'll both get on with the rest of your lives. So, what can you do except start at the door?

My mother was a great example of what technology CAN save time for. All the time I was growing up, Mom had a wringer washer, no dryer, microwave, and of course, no computer. We had TV - from the time I was 6 years old, at first only 1 channel, and later on 2 more. Until we got the freezer Mom put up enough fruit and vegetables, pickles, jams and jellies in glass jars to last us all winter. The freezer only freed her from canning vegetables, everything else still went in glass jars. She made all my clothes and most of her own on an old Singer sewing machine.

Later in life she had an automatic washer and dryer, and microwave, her 2 kids left home, and she only had to see to Dad. She froze all her own vegetables, put fruit, pickles, jams and jellies in glass jars, still grew her big garden, cooked well balanced, but smaller meals every night, and spent all her extra time reading books, knitting and doing other handwork, and making most of her own clothes. Oh yes, the modern sewing machine made that easier, too. She embrased technology, but used it to free up more time to do her old-fashioned labour intensive things she'd always done.

Smalltalk... Yes. When conversations in real life are less interesting than conversations on h2g2, that's probably a sign that something is amiss. What isn't clear is what effect, if any, technology has had on conversation.

Enthusiasm may not be the only thing keeping one from mentioning one's interests. I've found that, in response to the question 'What do you like doing?' the answer 'I'm an anime fan' can produce some, ahem, varied responses. Which probably has very little to do with technology and a great deal to do with human nature.