05 May A ‘Fibre’ Nation

Ever feel like packing your bags and driving to a secluded area, perhaps the mountains, an Island or maybe a quite village on a coastline somewhere.  I wish Scandinavia was near Underberg or Bali was a train ride away. Unlike my fantasies, illusions are so much better (LOL).  On this getaway, we shut down our cell phones, IPADS, laptops, any device connected to the internet and live off the grid for a week.  Yes, I said it, “Shut down the cell phone, turn it off, unplug the gadgets and devices and live off the grid.”  Painful isn’t it?  The very idea that one can suggest this, must prove my insanity.  So, before judgement is passed down, please hold off with the axing of my head or burning me alive at the stake.  The divide is real, technology has crept in and our dependency on the internet could be the beginning to an end of the human connection.

A few nights ago, I watched a movie on Netflix called, “Save me,” brilliant and funny but prompted so many thoughts.  The story line was good, screenplay average but the plot, let’s just say that, eight Easter eggs later, I was busy conversing internally on a whole new level.  My mind would not shut off, the banter back and forth (point A to B in my brain) and one might have assumed it was purely due to a sugar rush of sorts (someone once said that sugar is Satan in disguise and that it makes you high like Cocaine).  However, I was committed in rationalising this sudden influx of unspoken full sentences and I was on a quest to expose my thoughts.  Ah! Traitor! ‘my mind yells,’ but my conscience shouts, ‘Go tell the masses!’

Enter the Cellular phone (and any device connected to the internet), a beauty for most, big, strong, brilliant, colourful, loud or silent your choice, a friend perhaps, partners, a lifeline and for some their entire world begins or continues with Siri, Bixby or Alexa.  Let’s face it, Cell phones are not just a part of our mortal existence but engraved into each and every fibre (no pun intended) of our beings.  It is imbedded into our DNA and sadly, chances are that we cannot live without, “IT.”  So, what is it that makes us want IT?  IT represents a host of different reasons to most people.  For me I enjoy countless hours of, ‘You tubing’ (I wonder if I can coin that word).  I am at my happiest when watching random videos of ice skating, weddings, competitive ballroom dancing and my favourite of course, work out videos (that I never follow) all whilst Lilly Singh makes me chuckle.  Yes, the single life.  It surely has its benefits, more hours to kill while surfing the information highway.  Do we ever stop to think how much of our lives are spent surfing the information highway?  If one can honestly answer, then hopefully repenting will be duly noted at some point.  An average person spends at least half the day surfing the net, checking in daily to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, shopping online, checking the weather and of course, ‘Googling.’  Whilst all this may sound fair and good, and pose no immediate threats, in fact having access to the, ‘whole world’ by just a mere touch of a few buttons is in itself amazing.

Advancements in technology has indeed improved our lifestyles and we have come a long way since the inventions of the telephone and microwave ovens.  The questions that gnaws at the very end of my life, you know that outer layer we have, corner of denial and confusion lanes just around the bend from, What the hell are you doing Avenue? Why can’t we function without our cells?  Are we secretly obsessed with the internet?  Is this obsession interfering with our daily lives?  Are we addicted to fibre and does our cells serve as a quick fix?  Just because you use the Internet a lot – watch a lot of YouTube videos, shop online frequently, or like to check social media does not mean you suffer from any Internet Addiction Disorders. The trouble arises when these activities start to interfere with your daily life.  It is already quite alarming that so much of, ‘us is out there,’ and to note that we do not live a private life at all.

We as humans feel the need to belong.  Social systems are designed around units of social organization – we have an erring need to be nested in some set of social relationships. Humans are social beings.  The implications for technology here – which we perceive as always changing – is that everything, from the introduction of the telephone to the mobile phone is about keeping familial connections, email, sharing photos, social media, digital cameras, etc. Humans as social beings is at the heart of everything.

Well, with all the fantastical things that the internet has provided us with, it certainly has brought us further away from real human connection.  Have you ever noticed when you out and about at the mall or at a restaurant that people although sitting at the same table are not conversing or engaging?  In fact, a few glances here and there, some words exchanged and even if there is some sort of interaction between people, it is always coupled with the cell phone in tow.  God forbid we misplace our cell phones, drop it, forget it somewhere or the battery dies, life as we know it ends then and there.  We can all attest to the fact that the human connection is so important.  After all we are human right?  Artificial Intelligence (AI) would have you believe otherwise; robots can converse with humans and in some arenas are even the choice of company these days.  None the less, almost everything is possible with the collection of the right amount of data.

Think back to a life without cellular phones, no internet, no computers or even laptops, all we had was good old-fashioned conversation, the newspaper and television.    Mothers and teens conversed over dinner, Dads played soccer with their sons in the backyard, people visited each other and we were more conscience of a life not lived on a screen or as told by Google.  The quality of life was different and people placed more emphasis on the family.  I love technology and all the joys that come with it but somehow, we are evolving into a specie more fixated with the virtual world than connecting in the real one.  I wonder what would the long-term effects be, how ‘damaged’ would humans become, would we lose some of our faculties?  Can we draw a line between these two worlds and do we even know the difference? Marriages are falling apart, relationships are hanging on by threads, kids prefer gaming as opposed to playing outdoors, ‘interaction’ is a forgotten tool as we slowly creep into a silent online world where technology is our ruler.

I cannot imagine a world where communication is limited, even during this pandemic, the internet plays its role of connecting people virtually, yet I miss engaging with my fellow humans in the flesh.  There is something about that factor of connecting with people face to face, so to speak.  How many of us can truly unplug the devices for a week without even thinking of WhatsApp or Facebook messages?  I bet you almost none of us can or will be willing to do so.  We long for togetherness, the idea that we need to feel and the necessity of it all.  Can we envision a world where robots are the source of connecting in ‘human’ format or would sending virtual kisses ever equate to the real ones?

I like the smell of rain after the storm, I like walking barefoot on the grass, love the ocean and how it never seems to end, I like the sound of birds chirping and I love hugs.  Now imagine; what if future generations never witness the joys of these simple pleasures and the extension of the human connection, not because they chose not to but because they never knew this kind of connection existed.  Scary, but this is not a very hard image to imagine.  Whilst there maybe a million images to replicate these sceneries none would enable you to actually ‘feel.’  Have we become ‘robotic’ in our thinking?  Like it or not, we have allowed life to overwhelm us. We live in a fast-paced world where we have accepted the rules of the rat race.  We are all part and parcel of this evolution of the human mind and there is no definite answer as to where this may lead too.  We all heard the conspiracy theories and read many articles on the fate of man, but in all honesty, it is up to ‘US’ to determine how we want to raise our children and set the pace for our families whilst we pray for the best.  There is no stopping us from moving into is a world that is driven by Technology.  Where machines are built to think and act quicker than man and whilst we will always search for the human connection, Artificial Intelligence is made to mimic human nature.  Is the internet pulling us closer virtually or pushing us away physically?  The more time we spend online the less time we spend with people. There are studies that conclude, among other things, the more time people spend on the Internet, the less they interact with family and friends physically and over the phone, the smaller their social circles become, and the more they feel depressed. As society rapidly approaches full Internet integration, it is important to consider the consequences of being connected virtually, and whether it is worth the risk of becoming disconnected physically.

Ever wondered what, “Jesus would tweet?’  The internet is neither good nor bad.  It is how people use it that determines whether it is a force for good or bad. Jesus taught that: ‘A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.’ (Luke 6:45) I can only assume that God would want us to spread his good word using this platform and to be cautious as to what is communicated.  We are a people that is governed by God’s laws and in his word connection in the kingdom is very important.  Aligning ourselves with the word and remaining connected to people in our churches is very vital for spiritual growth.

There are seven billion humans on the planet, all seeking connection with the world and each other via product choices, online activities, sources of news and information, and our notions of the world, and all of this is on display in our digital world, easier to both access and manipulate than ever before. In this, there is promise, but there is also vulnerability.  Perhaps we can try to limit our dependency on the internet, take those long walks, vacation in the berg and maybe play a game of volleyball with the kids outside.

Hazel Moonsamy

Hazel Moonsamy has 15 years of experience in local Government serving in the Mayor’s office of Ethekwini, stationed with the Deputy Mayor. She has extensive political knowledge and shares a desire to aid the less fortunate. She is passionate about her walk with Christ and does not shy away from revealing her love for Christ. Hazel has been the news anchor on Megazone Radio for two years and currently hosts her own show called the Saturday Rejoice on Radio Hallelujah. She attends New Hope Ministries in Durban. She has taught Sunday School since the age of 12 years, led worship, and was actively involved in youth and Children’s ministry.