we are the most connected
and the most alone
you can say I love you
from three continents away
do you think we lost the art
of thinking for ourselves?
weather
what to wear
how to interview for a job
It’s a Google away
Even Shazam is gone
Because everyone listens to Spotify now
and we never do not know.
there is no guessing
or waiting for an answer.
AI can make your playlists
“morning mellow cowboy coffee by the park trail”
It’s specific and feels personal
but isn’t AI the opposite of personal?
maybe it’s the culmination of human learning
maybe it’s the complete destruction of human driven analysis
can it be both?
I am afraid I’m losing the art
of thinking for myself
But even worse,
What if I never had it?
Too many cell phones and smart TVs
Alexa, Siri, Chat gpt
If I’m confused
And want to look something up
I pick up my phone
If I am sad
And want to commiserate, complain
I pick up my phone
If I am elated
And want to share
I pick up my phone
When did you last scream outside
Or open a book?
What about opening a book outside?
Have you gone to the bathroom without your phone recently?
It’s a harder urge to resist than it should be.
Maybe all our connections are weaker because we have developed some expectation to garner a response from others each time we do anything. I can contact any one I desire, from miles away, my parents, college friends, an ex - any one of them, an old platoon sergeant. I have 1,275 contacts in my iPhone, 1,100 Facebook friends. Ive deleted and re-made my Instagram account no less than 5 times in the last four years because I can’t bare to let too many people know the inner details of my life, and then without it, I can’t bare to not share those same details. I can call, text or message anyone I’ve ever met long enough to get their number. And even that statement isn’t true- I can contact anyone that I can connect with on social media- regardless if they ever wanted to hear from me again- or vice versa. It’s a never ending game of self destructive comparisons, yearning affirmations. Throw a happy birthday in there and we are connected, right? There’s a lack of understanding life without instant answers and quick replies. So what do we do about it?
I think it starts with no phones on the toilet.
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