“Human-loathing” is a brand new term for me, as I’m sure it is for those of you reading this now, unless you had the chance to see Dr. Douglass Rushkoff’s opening keynote for the Critical Issues Symposium at Dimnet Chapel this past Tuesday night.
While I had many previous ideas about how technology can be negative in our society, I hadn’t thought about the concept that technology is giving us a pessimistic view of ourselves. Many of us have adopted this mindset that technology is, or will someday be, a better resource than we are. What some don’t think through, what Rushkoff pointed out, is the fact that without us, information does not exist. We need to be the ones to make sense of the information; computers don’t do that.
(This is not to say technology doesn’t aid in many areas, it does. It’s great in moderation, but not obsession.)
Technology can’t feel. Technology is a cold, hard box, that for some reason we all look to for happiness and gratification. Why do we do that? Are we not enough as a human species to satisfy each other’s need for happiness?
I can’t help but wonder if this negative view reflects in other areas of our lives. It’s easy to hear people saying negative things about themselves or others. Why are we so critical and why don’t we think we’re special? We can do so much in this life that we’re given; we’re capable of so much. Technology is only part of the evidence of what we can accomplish. There are so many occasions where I have felt astonished by the amazing things people have done. We should live up to our full potential without looking to others, or technology, for gratification.
Rushkoff is on Team Human. Are you? Think of the amazing things you can do that technology or someone else sitting beside you cannot. Embrace them and be Team Human, because I’m rooting for you!
I hope you all have an awesome weekend,
Brooke