The Contradiction of Being Connected

BEGINNING REFLECTIONS

After reading the first five chapters of Program or Be Programmed by Douglas Rushkoff, some reflection on how I interact with the technology that I am surrounded with is necessary in order to apply the knowledge I have just gained. My perspective may be one that is slightly altered from the typical reader of Rushkoff's book. This is due to my slight knowledge of how to program and my overarching view that everything that we are surrounded with is interconnected on a level that we can barely comprehend. In the year 2017, we are now able to communicate, gain information, and provide information for others easier and more expansively than ever before. This brings about opportunities that those in the past couldn't even dream of; however, it also brings about challenges that we aren't quite sure how to handle yet. Also, the internet shows no signs of going anywhere or becoming less necessary so we must begin to learn how we are to live in this interconnected world before we are swept up.

SURVIVAL OF THE QUICKEST

With the many challenges that we are presented with concerning technology, social media, and communication intermixed with the simple tasks of every day one thing is key: knowledge. However, the issue with this necessity for knowledge is the rate at which we are expected to gain and retain it. An ignorant population is generally known to be a dysfunctional one, but how are we supposed to overcome this ignorance with so little help and expertise? Plus, (the secret is out) programming is really hard! I would say it compares to learning another language in its level of difficulty and complexity and not everyone has a passion for it. Nevertheless, basic knowledge of how programming works is necessary for daily tasks. My mom is a great example of this. She has owned her own cleaning business for longer than I have been alive and I have watched it adapt to this technological world throughout the years. She used to leave paper reminders for her clients to say when their next scheduled cleaning appointment was, but now she texts or calls all of her clients to remind them when she will be cleaning their house or business. This has brought challenges such as my mom being unsure if her client received the message or inconsistency of method due to some of her elderly clients. My mom has had to learn, with the help of both of her technologically savvy children, how to adapt her business to the changing technological world. But how is someone who doesn't have children who have a passion for technology supposed to learn these things all on their own?

WHICH MOMENT ARE YOU IN

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Apart from knowledge of how to program, social media has brought about a plethora of challenges solely for our methods of communicating with one another. I have benefited personally from this ability to communicate at all times because I am currently in a long distance relationship. Being able to talk to your significant other at basically all times, instantaneously makes being in completely different states immensely easier. However, due to social media you are expected to post about your relationship online in order for it to be "authentic" or "official". This puts an insane amount of pressure on both members of the relationship to present the relationship as one of happiness in love no matter the actual situation. To me, this is probably one of the stupidest things about social media. I personally do not see any point to having other people, who I don't really know, validate my relationship. At the same time, those who aren't in a "couple goals" relationship often judge their own relationship based on the artificial presentation of strangers' relationships. Which again, seems very bizarre and counterproductive. For example, here is a list of 12 ways to become a "relationship goals couple" written by a complete stranger that is supposed to somehow dictate how you are supposed to act in your relationship. Although I am unsure how to even begin to solve this problem of foreign validation, I do think that a step in the right direction begins with a designated separation. What I mean by this is that you should prioritize your actual human relationship with your significant other over the digital representation of it. It doesn't matter how many pictures you post, how many heart eyes you comment, what really matters is the true and deep interaction you have with your significant other without the audience. Face to face communication is a precious art that is being overrun by meaningless messages and an art that we must fight for in order to advocate for its importance.

My current boyfriend and I being goofballs at our Senior Prom