The world got smaller with the advent of the internet. Then it got stupider. I don’t think that’s an over-dramatization. You would think that having the World Wide Web at your fingertips would have made us better. Just think of all the information we have on tap. We can learn how to do almost anything with the click of an instructional video. We can look up any information on any subject at the speed of light. No need to check the encyclopedia, run to the library, or call a knowledgeable friend or colleague. Data, raw or filtered, is right there in your hand. Education is available in so many different forms, due to online degrees and other forums. The knowledge of the past and present is available for everyone. What do we do with it? We play on “social media” for nearly two and a half hours a day. Yup. We mainly watch funny, entertaining videos of less than three minutes (on average) for nearly two and a half hours a day. We be getting stupid.
Before you brush me off as just being an old fogey with that “when I was a kid…” syndrome, keep in mind that I’m talking about my generation, too. We’ve bought into this stuff, in a big way, ourselves. Boomers have pretty much taken over Facebook. We’re on track to co-opt the major apps like Tik Tok, too. If they survive much longer. Those of us edging closer to retirement are making up more and more of the online presence. After years of “Hey! Put your phone down and talk to me” we’ve turned to “Huh? What’d you say? I was watching this cat…” Then we proceed to show said person our phone, and what the cat did, to their pure joy and excitement. We be as stupid as y’all young’ins.
The average screen time for everyone’s time on the internet for all uses (ie work, communication, information, play, etc) is up to six hours and fifty-eight minutes a day. So, the world is faster, has more options, and is connected in ways that our grandparents would’ve never believed. We can complain to corporations about customer service in record time. From ten minutes after a bad experience at your local business, you can register a complaint and have a coupon emailed to you before you leave the building. Instant karma. The employee you complain about can be fired via text message, then go online and have a job interview lined up before he leaves the building, too. The internet is an awesome thing.
No wonder we’re scared of AI. What happens when we simply give Artificial Intelligence the reigns to our lives, just so’s we don’t have to actually talk to a human being? That’s going to be a big draw for a lot of us. Just tell AI what you want done. Hal will be happy to take care of that for you. If you don’t know who “Hal” is, check out “2001 A Space Odessey”. It’s a weird sci-fi classic from 1968, directed by Stanley Kubrick. Hal was the AI computer that controlled the spacecraft Discovery One in the movie. Check it out. It doesn’t end well for most of the crew. Any time we try to put automations (intelligent or not) in charge of our lives, it really doesn’t end well.
Anyway, y’all enjoy your cat videos.
God Bless Y’all!
Rolling Stones 