To Reality and Beyond!

The ever-expanding arm of technology

By Aaron Grierson

“La Vision de Daniel” by Gabriela Nuñez

Freedom, as we know it, is an ever-expanding concept that has historically been propelled by technological advancement, benefits which have been taken for granted but are equally important as one’s right to live as an individual. While the argument can easily be made that technologies, from basic tools to smart phones, have liberated people in a lot of ways, the same can be said for the exact opposite. It may seem odd to think of one’s self as bound by technological chains, but this is a very real, if intangible, possibility in our everyday lives.

A brief history of every technology that has, in some way, contributed to the freedom of a group of people, would be excessively grandiose and likely altogether impossible to properly and accurately summarize, but there’s no harm in trying. Venturing as far back as is possible, simple tools, like hatchets, or ploughs, were continually refined to aid in the increase of productivity and eventually, from the time freed up, more leisure. While liberty more broadly took centuries to attain, the trend of “free time” is nevertheless evident. A major turning point was the industrial revolution, exemplified by the printing press. While other developments were also immensely important, the spread of literature began by being available only to the financially established and educated, naturally leading to the dissemination of leisure reading.

Literature is an especially important manifestation of spare time. While books are key in educational pursuits as much as they are for the leisurely, they nevertheless require free time to engage with, unless of course, one works in a library. As books became more widely accessible courtesy of the printing press, ideas and ideologies spread across the populace, and, revolutions aside, the primary point is that people (and not just the elite) were given opportunity to learn and engage with public discourse. But, certain genres of reading, especially early novels, became largely about memorizing story arcs and characters archetypes that would become clichés. This practice, centuries old, has expanded at least proportionately in the modern era, but increasingly we seem to be exposed to large quantities of rather vapid writing hardly worth the designation of “public distraction”.

The flip side of technology, the negative aspects, seems to be a more recent phenomenon, but also has its roots in industrialization. Impossible working conditions, long hours, risks, and environmental issues still plague the system on the whole in the modern world. However, given the increasing dispersal of industrial jobs, many have found themselves with a proportionate increase in their leisure time. Not only to pursue good literature (subject to individual and cultural tastes of course), but also for socializing with fine company, and in the leisurely perusals of photographs, films and discussions, all of which have the potential to be the antithesis of any boon.

The contention between a liberating technology, and one that restrains through distraction, is obviously one of moderation. We can spend only two hours enjoying a film, or a game, or a book, or the seemingly endless entertainments of the internet. Or we can, and often do spend hours a day on these things. Perhaps it is merely a matter of the allure of pleasure and the absence of effort or work. The old proverb “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” is certainly out of date in terms of its target audience, but still holds weight. Especially when inverted. All play and no work may become a proverb for posterity. It would not only make us lazy, but potentially draw entire generations into what can effectively be described as an endless loop of production and admiration. What I mean is that we may create things, like blog posts, or videos or even entire stories, not as work but to spread a sense of enjoyment. This too is a more recent phenomenon, being accomplished through particular mediums that are being propped up through technology. Although the internet is obviously implicated in this loop, it is not the only proponent. It is, however a self-sustaining example of the play-all loop, where work is secondary, if existent at all, and pleasure through entertainment, the primary function.

On a broader scope, we are essentially creating a culture of distraction, born out of large quantities of leisure. And spreading these distractions is a primary way of sustaining this culture. Through word of mouth to social media, the proliferation of quite literally everything under the sun—and a great number of things beyond it—has been ever expanding by ways of technology. A very recent example would be the pending introduction of Google Glass, which is exactly what it sounds like. Imagine non-prescription glasses that can take pictures or videos for you. While such a technology sounds amazing and can allow for reliving experiences like skydiving indefinitely, it can also, through sharing especially, leave to some unfriendly consequences. There is always the worry of one’s personal image, particularly as portrayed to potential employers. Any related worries are a form of self restraint. But these concerns are agitated by the widespread use of self-advertising we engage in, through social media.