The internet is a privilege, and if you can't be trusted with it, I'll have to put it away.
I mean it. Last warning.
If I see one more polarised point of view, smug acronym learned on social media or one more scrolling session crowding out connection to people or nature, you're done, young man/woman/person. Don't push me!
Subscriber Steven Youngblood from Wellington reckons that when we had hegemonic media and landlines, the internet was safe enough. But we peaked in the 90s and it's all gone downhill since then.
Enjoy his Unpopular Opinion.
(I'll keep writing in my Mum voice and see if my email response rate goes down.)
Merry Christmas,
A
The Matrix had it right - humanity peaked in the '90s.
By Stephen Youngblood
There was a time we thought history had ended.
The Cold War was over (the good guys won), with another war in Europe seemingly impossible.
Progress seemed inevitable, with travel and international trade making the world seem smaller and accessible. Less-fragmented media meant pop-culture was shaped by common experiences through television and current events - discussing who killed Laura Palmer and Angel losing his soul, wondering about OJ Simpson and saving up for Vitalogy and Jagged Little Pill.
The internet existed, but wasn't all-consuming. Access often required special privileges, or competence to know which bulletin boards and chat rooms to frequent. We were acutely aware of how much time we spent loading the internet, and hoping Mum wouldn't pick up the phone while you were playing Land of the Red Dragon.
Cell phones were used for phone calls - mainly land-lines. The Nokia ringtone being the closest thing to a notification.
WE STILL EXPECTED WE COULD FIX CLIMATE CHANGE (so we didn't).
It wasn't all roses and lollipops - marginalised groups were excluded from much of civil institutions, with gay marriage finding general recognition in the 2000s. While globalisation set the stage for outsourcing, wage stagnation and hollowing out of key industries.
But the general settings meant we felt we had more in common with each other than we do now, that more was possible and that we would work together to do great things.
So, given the choice - I think I would take the blue pill.
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🎄 About 24 Days of Unpopular Opinions
This December, I'm calling bullshit, to keep you sane over the silly season. Over 24 days, I'll share 24 unpopular opinions - like an advent calendar, but filled with controversy instead of chocolate. Share widely to whoever else needs this.
Catch up on unpopular opinions you might have missed:
December 1: You don't have a strategy
December 2: CEOs are tiny babies
December 3: Women should be ugly and mean
December 4: Leaders are dry drunks
December 5: Conspiracy theorists are right
December 6: We should tell people to shut up
December 7: We should lose our Internet privileges
