Three Complicated Objects

If I had to choose three objects to show what life is like now for myself personally and for people in general; these are the choices I would make and the clues they reveal  about who we are, what we want and what is coming.

Let's begin with smartphones. They're everywhere. We use them to communicate, to entertain, to work and to provide a portal to our digital lives. As long as we carry our phones, we are reachable, plugged in and ready to record what we see and hear. 

Next let's go with our streaming devices which represent our further transformation of entertainment consumption. The stream has enabled us to have more choices in how we watch teevee, and movies. We love the convenience, choice and flexible personalization as well as the on demand, instantly gratified pursuit of content.

Finally,  I choose the Amazon Prime Box.This simple cardboard container represents the convenience and prevalence of online shopping in contemporary culture. These boxes arrive at our doorsteps filled with products ranging from everyday essentials to luxury items. They symbolize the ease of access to goods, the influence of digital marketplaces, and the evolving nature of retail. 

Even as I type this, the Amazon delivery guy is dropping off a box on my front porch. I have no idea what it is. I'm sure my wife does.

All three of my choices have become vital to our current version of human existence in America. We are reachable, plugged in and ready to record. Mom and Pop shops have all but disappeared. Malls are becoming ghost towns. We love convenience, choice, personalization and instant feedback and gratification. We love shopping without leaving our houses and the accesibility of digital marketplaces.

Yet, my choices also reflect concerns about consumerism, packaging waste, and the impact of large corporations on local businesses. They tend to addict us to inertia while making us evermore dependent upon technology even as we stumble towards quantum computing which threatens the essence of humanity itself.  

Inertia, in this sense, refers to a state of passivity or inactivity, where we become so absorbed in our digital devices or the convenience of online shopping that we disengage from other aspects of life.

Technology, particularly smartphones and streaming devices provide a constant stream of notifications, the endless scroll of social media feeds, and the binge-watching culture which all contribute to a sedentary lifestyle and a lack of engagement with the physical world as the line between virtual and actual blurs like the line between figuarative and literal like ya no'me sayn

This is who we are, what we wanted, what we got,why we're here and where we may arrive if we continue in our current behavioral orbit.

In the meantime, let's drink a beer at a bar and get overcharged.