For as long as technology has existed, it’s been marketed as something that makes the world a better place; a tool for better, easier lives. Fire? Kills pathogens and makes food taste good. The Wheel? Makes hauling stuff less backbreaking and way more fun. The telephone? At it’s peak, its benefits were weighted towards the positive – saving lives and bringing people together through faster, albeit more expensive, communication than a letter or telegram. These days however, it could be argued the telephone is something we tolerate for the sake of possibly, if we we can get a dispatcher to answer and haven't had our call hijacked by someone operating a Stingray, being able to call for emergency services in the event of a crisis. Today, telephone calls are the territory of old people and con artists selling car warranties and trying to scare you by saying your “social security number is suspend (sic)”. Why? Because we have social media. No one needs to talk to their friends on the phone anymore because they already know everything they’ve done all day long – it’s all posted on their social media accounts. Meals eaten, diapers changed, traffic snarls, wrong drink delivered at Starbucks, concert attended, layoff, school acceptance, new job…it’s all there, all day long, every day, an endlessly scrolling record of everyone’s day updated every second.
