It resembled the scene out of a science fiction novel. Several people were scattered throughout the room, some with cords connecting to their heads. Although a few were centered around a table together, no one spoke to each other or even looked up from the glow of a tiny square box. They were in a trance. And there was no way to pull them out of the hypnotic state.
But it wasn’t a science fiction novel. It was reality, and it was more stranger than any fiction.
This was the scene before me as I was having lunch alone. Everyone surrounding me were tuned into their cell phones, more than likely connected to social media. And it was completely silent other than a few drops of noise when forks or spoons would hit the side of a plate.
Groups of friends were not talking amongst themselves. Their time was spent scrolling through an endless feed of “likes, shares and thumbs-down.” The only movement I saw was when one of these friends would take a photograph of their food or of themselves, quickly smiling only to lose the smile when the phone came down.
Very little was said to the wait staff who brought the tables their food. They could have been served raw food, and the patrons would probably have never noticed.
And it was a scary scene before me, witnessing the complete control of a society, bound to the chains of a phone and an endless social media feed.
“We are never going to make it,” I said to myself as I sipped my soup. “This is what we have become.”
I admit that I own a cell phone and have an active social media presence. But I try my hardest to not let it control my environment. When I am at an event, I experience the moment rather than record it for an imaginary audience. My news is typically gathered from a newspaper that I can hold between my fingers. In the evening time at home, I prefer a book to wind down from my day rather than glueing my eyes to a glowing blue screen.
But I do use my phone frequently. And with the journalism world adjusting to the new digital avenues, I must stay on top of social media and other technological trends.
But I have never seen so much control over a society than I did at that very moment at the restaurant. There was no interaction amongst people, opting more for the approval of “likes” rather than personal discussion.
It was a sad scene to behold, and I don’t predict it will get any better.
Social media has become a double-edged sword. It can be an effective way to communicate, learn and spread awareness. But the other side involves anxiety, poor self-imaging, false information and bullying. And the negative side spreads far more than the positive.
And we continue to drink the Kool-Aid as it is being poured before us. It is just what the designers and creators behind it wanted us to be: clueless.
In my line of work, I have seen firsthand the cancer that social media can spread. I typically choose to remain quiet when I am attacked on social media, opting more for the hope that a personal phone call would be made to provide an explanation of an error, miscommunication or simple fact-checking. Those personal phone calls are rare, but the social media posts are in an abundance.
Social media allows “bravery” to come forth behind a computer screen or cell phone application. Social media is outlaw territory with no rules, manners or ethics. Social media creates “experts.” And it is a silent virus that crept into our society overnight, with no warning, and we welcomed the intruder in with open arms.
I long for the days when friends gathered around a table to laugh, talk and discuss. I value the times when an opinion was given only when it was asked or needed. And I wish we could have the times back when a disagreement was made face-to-face so we could at least see who we were facing.
The witch hunts of colonial times seem something so unconceivable to us in modern times. But social media has become the inquisition board now. And people are quickly burned at the stake digitally.
As I paid my bill and thanked the wait staff for their service, the trance around me continued. And when I held the door open for a young family coming in, I noticed their small child glued to the screen of a phone.
There is no need to worry if artificial intelligence or robots will take over. We ourselves have become the robots. And we didn’t even put up a fight.
