February Focus: Day Six
I finally got a new phone the other day. I don’t remember which. All I know is my other one was on its last legs, so I had to upgrade. Thankfully I’m such a loyal patron to Verizon, they gave me this $1,500 brick for $120. Nothing from my computer backup made it over to my new phone, but I didn’t care. That process has never worked for me, why should it work now? It all feels like a big scam, anyway. I dropped my phone and the $65 screen protector immediately shattered. Money well spent as I yearn for simpler times.
I question if I should have even upgraded, especially now that I’m on a 5G network. Not to get all tinfoil-hat nuttery on you, but the other day I simply thought about restarting Pure Barre classes and four hours later I got a spam text offering me discounted classes. I kind of hate that I’m this repulsed by technology, but can you blame me? If I wanted to really disconnect myself, I’d do it. But I’m taking it upon myself to at least be a part of this game, even if it means sacrificing some of my more modest intentions.
My Uber home today was a Tesla. I’ve been getting into more of them around here it seems. I have nothing against them; they seem like very well-made cars. But every Tesla I’ve seen on the highway has been an assh*le, and they feel more like a novelty vehicle rather than a practicality. Correct me if I’m wrong on that one, but there’s just something so unsettling about the Car of the Future™.
First off, there’s no door handle. You have to push in this little tab in order to open the door. It surprises me every time because it’s automatic. It pops open. The cars are roomy but they feel like a spaceship. Like my brain is echoing inside. And it looks like there’s an iPad stuck on the dashboard, monitoring every car, bike, or person who drives past. It just feels too unfriendly and inauthentic inside, like someone else is controlling our little hovercars, daring us to make a wrong move so they can shut off the power. There isn’t even a handle to get out, you have to push a button. I wasn’t playing dumb when I had to ask the driver how I get out, even after doing it so many times before.
It feels complicated. But maybe I’m the weirdo here. Maybe this is the future with all its embellishments, and I’ve got to find my basic place in it before it’s too late.
This is not to say we need to go backwards. For all of Current Year™’s foibles, I’m incredibly glad to be living in the time I am. I, as a woman, am just as equal to men in all grounded aspects. I can vote, I can own property, I get treated fairly. I can be a housewife if I want or a CEO if I was crazy. And I have the wealth of the entire world’s knowledge directly at my fingertips. The only people who can ever bring me down are all the weirdos in the technology space, and, if you can believe it, I can choose to leave that all behind any time I want to too. It’s a modern age for a simple gal. I just need to prepare myself to dabble in the advancements as long as I’m semi-dependent on them.
If I had the means, I’d go off the grid. But I live in the country’s most densely packed grid, so I may as well make the best of it. Just because something is the newest and shiniest gadget doesn’t mean I have to go running out to get one. However, I also need to learn not to judge people who do. They want to be in another world that I simply need not partake in. Because it’s not designed for everyone, as much as they try to tell you it is. And I think that’s the point that’s gone missing in this world of gadgets. Be your own tech boss if you want. Just don’t expect me or the rest of the world to follow suit. That’s all we can really expect out of one another, even if we find ourselves in archaic times. Live and let live. Engineered or easy. It’ll always be your digital choice.
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