“we have no idea what we are talking about”
Our technology is not intrinsically self-destructive but ironically, as we become more efficient we are more isolated and our sense of community is being shattered. “We are losing a way to bridge differences in a world already collapsing from its stratification. The guy who walks into a Starbucks to pick up his pre-ordered flat white as he is conference-calling into his Air-Pods doesn’t have to exchange a single word to the worker behind the counter or really even acknowledge her. He grabs his drink and gets on with it.”[i]
“Beyond aping youngsters, there is something inherently juvenile about social media. To begin with, it elevates superficiality, speed and the image—all youthful preoccupations—over depth, deliberation and text, which we associate with mature adults.”[ii]
We keep our cell phone in our hand or within reach 24/7. “Our bodies love the little hit of dopamine we get each time we check our phones for something, anything.”[iii]
Insight # 86 comes to us from Roy Charles Henry (b. 1938). He is the creator of The Simple Reality Project.
“As we devise ever more ingenious ways to communicate, they will turn out to be worthless if we have no idea what we are talking about.”[iv]
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Additional Reading:
- Communication, The ABC’s of Simple Reality, Vol 1
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[i] Bellafante, Ginia. “The Invasion of the Ghost Shoppers.” The New York Times. February 2, 2020, p. 29.
[ii] Wayne, Teddy. “No, Grandma, You Are Not LOL.” The New York Times. May 7, 2017, p. 2.
[iii] Kolker, Robert. “Attention Must Be Paid.” The New York Times Book Review. September 28, 2014, p. 12.
[iv] Henry, Roy Charles. “Communication.” The ABC’s Of Simple Reality, Vol 1. May 2018, p. 90.
