[uh-oh!]

The father looks over at his teenage son. He’s staring at a computer. Eyes glazed, mouth ajar. 

The man takes a long, slow drag of his cigarette. He exhales and shakes his head. 

Blue smoke drifts through the air as he turns his gaze back to the television.

[uh-oh!] 

The son tappity-taps on the keyboard. A shit-eating grin paints his face as he clicks the mouse. 

He’s oblivious to the electric air. Doesn’t notice his father’s penetrating stare. 

A few minutes pass. 

[uh-oh!] 

“That’s enough! Get off that damn computer and go outside!” 

~

I was 14 when my parents bought our first computer. 

Back when dial-up was your only option. Before we had cell phones glued to our hands and the internet took over our lives.

As an Elder Millennial, I yearn for my archaic adolescence. To be a youth without back pain, sure. But it’s something else. 

It felt like a simpler time. Like things were more…tangible. 

We lacked today’s digital connections, yet we were together more often. In real life, doing real life things. Fewer distractions, less disassociation.

We were free—though we didn’t know it—until we assimilated to the New Age. One by one:

• we joined ICQ [uh-oh!] then MySpace
• Reddit then Twitter then Facebook
• Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn
• Threads (or whatever)

And so on and so on and holyfuckingshitcanwejustnot!

Social media is shifting human culture. For better and worse.

It amplifies ideas and opportunities. It accelerates personal growth and professional development. And it’s brought us closer in some ways—on a global level, especially. 

But social media perpetuates division. 

Winners against Losers. Us against Them. It’s high school cliques at scale.

It’s bullying, sexual harassment, and misinformation spread across the internet like a plague. 

And we spend an ungodly amount of time online. It’s hard not to. Social media is designed to keep us spellbound, addicted to that synthetic dopamine drip:

• There’s always an important message to read, a hot take to make
• always a TikTok to watch, a selfie to post, a tweet to write
• and the FOMO is always real

There’s no such thing as inbox zero—everything is digital first.

We traded street lights for push notifications. Coffee houses and libraries for apps and digital archives. The American Dream for dreaming of going viral.

Well, it’s time for the push back. Because fuck that. ⤴

I want to experience the world beyond the screens. I want to hear the lol and feel the fish pull my line. I want to taste the homemade meal and smell wood burning on the fire. 

Because I want to drink life straight. No chaser. 

Because a human connection is stronger than a digital connection. 

Because it’s like my old man said: 

“That’s enough! Get off that damn computer and go outside!”

J.B.D.