justing.net

Turning Inside-out

By Justin G. on 23APR03MON

I want you to think back to an earlier time, in ten year steps. In my mind, I am comparing the state of the world, whatever that means, to the past. Compare 2023 to 2013, and 2013 to 2003. For bonus points, if you are old enough, compare 2003 to 1993. This is about my limit; I only have dim memories of the early 1980s.

When I compare 2023 against 2013, I think that a lot has changed. Maybe more to the point, a lot is changing currently. You can make your own list. I don’t think the contents of the list matter particularly for the point that I am making. In 2013 there was less significant stuff changing quite so rapidly or profoundly. It could be that my memory is not great, or that I was still partially living under a rock at the time. At least I had returned from overseas by then and was absorbing the media landscape in the language I was born into.

When I look at 2013 and 2003, they seems much the same as each other. There is some new stuff, some different stuff. But also a lot of the same stuff.

I think the extra reflection on 2003 and 1993 really helps me. There are some pretty big changes between these two years. Maybe it’s a foreshock of what we are experiencing now? New things in my life in 2003 were: cell phones, email addresses, laptop computers that I personally owned, mp3s (but still a lot of CDs). Those are some concrete changes that you’ll notice in your day to day.

Maybe it’s that more of our lives are lived digitally now. Changes in the digital landscape are noticeable today because we’re always connected, always online.¹ Another generation of those online things are being tilled over back into the digital earth. Today feels more like the world is being turned inside out more than I’ve ever experience in my life. What a weird time we’re in.

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Are you feeling that way too? Toss a comment on the ol’ toot there. We can converse about it, maybe.

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