Technological advances have become the backbone of modern civilization, reshaping the way we work, communicate, learn and manage our lives in the 21st century. From artificial intelligence to social media platforms, technological advances promise greater efficiency, connectivity and convenience. However, as societies become increasingly dependent on the comforts of technology, the negative consequences of this dependence, ranging from loss of cognitive abilities to environmental impacts, are unfortunately not taken too seriously.
There is a topic I have been thinking of writing about for a long time in the context of criticism of digital culture:
“Why does the comfort that technology brings turn it from being a tool to an aim for us, turning us into digital slaves?”
In the past few days, a high-budget movie called “The Electric State”, translated as “Virtual Country” on one of the digital platforms, dealt with this issue in a fantastic way. Although the film has faced serious criticism from critics for being oversimplified as an “easy-to-watch retro-futuristic entertainment”, I think the film dramatizes the increasing dependence of human beings on technological comfort in an exaggerated but thought-provoking way.
At the end of the movie, which reminds us how far we get away from real life while seeking comfort in technology, I found the following statements made by the main character quite meaningful:
“… We got so used to it that we thought that that what’s real life was. But it’s not. Real life… it’s contact. It’s you and me. We’re flesh and bone, yeah, but we’re also electricity. And when we hu and laugh and hold hands and argue, my particles stay with you, and yours stay with me. And may be we stay together forever. But that can’t happen if you close yourself off. It can only happen out here in the real world. Look around. There’s someone near you right now. They’re real and alive. And they need you as much as you need them…”
After this short and thought-provoking introduction, in the coming weeks I would like to discuss in detail the effects of our dependence on technological comfort on us, our environment and nature.