I just read a piece of short science-fiction (One Story issue #184) called ReMem, by Amy Brill. Im not normally a sci-fi fan, and my reaction to this story made me realize why. I am - in a very real sense- pretty freaked out by the potential damage of computer technology to human kind. The author told the story through the eyes of a man about my mothers age. He is sick because of an addiction to re-living memories (via computer technology) shared of his life with his dead wife. Much of it centers around interaction with his college-age daughter. Her eyes glaze over in awe and admiration at the idea that some people dont even have bodies anymore. She leaves the house once a week for a required gym class, and thats it. I hear of some countries whose downloading speed is so fast, people can be entertained every moment of their free time by being in front of a screen. Imagine the effect over time that this has on a population. All social interaction is done virtually. People stop leaving their homes. Its safer that way, anyway, right? Social skills die out entirely, as they are no longer needed for survival. Now I am aiming this as much at myself as at anyone else: Virtual life is not real. There is more value in leaving the goddamn house to go for a walk than any facebook post could ever possess. Having reactions and emotions caused by simple keystrokes of other peoples hands...thats not life. Thats video games. Dont lose your realness, people, by being online too much. Unplug. Go for a walk in the woods, hang out at the library, have a phone conversation with your grandmother, who still lives in the old, REAL world: offline. Re-populate that world.
Posted on: Wed, 23 Oct 2013 13:15:59 +0000
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