Power, control, knowledge

How can such a small device hold so much, do so much, control so much?

We live in a time where information and knowledge are abundant, but the facts and truths are diluted with opinions and idealism.

Some of us have thrived in the information age, some of us just exist, and some of us have been left behind, clinging to the romanticism of the old.

I find myself in the middle: some things I love, some things I hate, and some things I am so abundantly aware of that I avoid them as best I can.

We can only live by example. I cannot tell you how to live or what to do with your life. I can only give you facts and my own opinion, moulded through my experiences.

Facts can be skewed, and opinions, to a point, are useless because we all have different lives, situations, and environments. The world is not fair, and we are not all given a fair hand.

Technology, to a point, has levelled the playing field just a bit more. And it's crazy how devices can shape our minds and our wallets, be it buying, consuming, producing, or distributing.

If I could live off just a few items, I would. But at the same time, the more you rely on technology, the less you rely on people and community, and that snowball effect breeds loneliness and disconnect.

It's funny how these devices we use shape our lives more than we would like to admit. And, in turn, they shape our world and how we interact with it as well.

I think to myself: how do I use technology, and how does it affect my life? And, in turn, how do I affect my environment because of it and the people I know?

I'm an introvert. I don't need external validation, and that kind of shows with the amount of effort I put into social media and family and friend chats. I go on them once in a while each year. The rest of the time, I spend in my head, thinking, writing, reading, learning. It's not that I think no one cares; it's just that I don't feel the need to share.

We are social creatures, we are made to interact, to have experiences with each other, and technology is making it easier and easier to avoid those interactions. And with Western ideology all about the individual, our ideology makes the effects of technology worse.

Why go out when you can eat with minimal effort via food delivery? Why have a partner when you can watch porn? Why join a social group when we have gaming communities online? Why work in an office when we can work at home? This is disconnect. This is what technology is slowly doing, because we prefer it, without thought of consequence.

Ease of use.
Convenience.

How much do you want to give up for convenience? How much are you willing to let fall apart and be forgotten about in how society used to function? How much is convenience worth? We already know that it's worth our privacy. And also physical social interactions. I wonder, what’s next?

How can we let a device so small hold so much, do so much, control so much of our lives?

Easy, because... it's convenient.