As the saying goes ‘Life isn’t meant to be easy’, but technology was meant to make it easier. Well that’s how it was sold to us. Computers would streamline our most menial tasks providing more time for leisure; emails and texts would make communications faster; the internet would democratise the flow of news and information; social media would unite disparate communities and help us stay in touch with distant friends and family.
But while technology and the internet have certainly given us some conveniences, combined, they now seem to be everybody’s greatest source of stress.
New technology requires constant vigilance. You can never let your guard down. Internet criminals are constantly inventing new ways of stealing our money, and our identities. If you take your eye off technology for just one second it supersedes you with new software or updates. If you don’t adapt you’re left behind.
A constant stream of emails, messages and notifications pressure us to be ‘available’ 24/7. Try to ‘google’ anything and you have to wade through endless pages of paid ads, scams, and spams. Instead of uniting us, social media is a quagmire rampant with misinformation, fuelling hatred and division to the point where no-one trusts anyone or believes anything anymore.
What began as an exciting experiment in decentralisation has been well and truly stuffed by corporations. Many people have said it, but it’s time we all admit it. The internet is broken. And it can’t be fixed because it’s a business. When profit is the purpose the end result will always be corrupt.
I don’t have the answers, I just try to avoid it as much as I can, and make an effort to engage with life. The antidote to online life is real-life interaction with friends, family, local community and nature. Hopefully The Westsider is one small step in the right direction, helping you feel more connected by sharing real stories from your community. If you haven’t seen your community on our pages yet then fix it. Send us your story and start connecting.
