Good morning, I hardly know what to do on Sunday mornings, now no longer having Trumpian tweets to comment on. Today I offer some observations on technology’s grasp on us. Observation #1 I was on the Peloton bike the other day and on the screen appeared the accomplishments and milestones of fellow riders, with instructions to “give them a high five.” I ignored this while peddling furiously to keep the pace with an instructor half my age. But the request didn’t go away. Going through my mind (other than, “please, lord, let this end soon”) was whether it might be rude not to comply—after all, within my power was the ability to grant a tiny bit of happiness and recognition to some anonymous fellow rider, with the mere touch of the screen. Then again, I wasn’t about to allow this device to dictate my actions. Eventually I relented. Call it a low bar to easy compliance. Call it acquiescence to the power of social media. Call it a need to belong. Basically, I behaved like a well-trained lab rat.
#324 Musings from the Bunker 1/31/21
#324 Musings from the Bunker 1/31/21
#324 Musings from the Bunker 1/31/21
Good morning, I hardly know what to do on Sunday mornings, now no longer having Trumpian tweets to comment on. Today I offer some observations on technology’s grasp on us. Observation #1 I was on the Peloton bike the other day and on the screen appeared the accomplishments and milestones of fellow riders, with instructions to “give them a high five.” I ignored this while peddling furiously to keep the pace with an instructor half my age. But the request didn’t go away. Going through my mind (other than, “please, lord, let this end soon”) was whether it might be rude not to comply—after all, within my power was the ability to grant a tiny bit of happiness and recognition to some anonymous fellow rider, with the mere touch of the screen. Then again, I wasn’t about to allow this device to dictate my actions. Eventually I relented. Call it a low bar to easy compliance. Call it acquiescence to the power of social media. Call it a need to belong. Basically, I behaved like a well-trained lab rat.