The Future of Human Connection: Canceled due to Lack of Interest!

So, today is Memorial Day, here in the US of A.

Whatever that may — or may not — mean to you, it typically means it's a federal holiday (like a "bank holiday") so almost everyone is off work.

Here in our neighborhood, Memorial Day typically means it's time for the Annual Neighborhood Memorial Day breakfast/picnic in our little neighborhood park.

Except — What Gives?

Started by one of the first people to build a house in this end of the neighborhood, the Memorial Day picnic has been a tradition for 35+ years.

Except, this year there is no picnic; evidently it was canceled/scrapped due to "lack of interest."

It was both a sad — as well as slightly odd — realization that "nobody cared." I certainly recognize that we're dealing with changing demographics in our neighborhood (and the world), and that the "older folks" for whom Memorial Day probably had first-hand meaning have passed on, giving way to younger folks... but still, this was an opportunity to get together and share food and meet others in the neighborhood.

And now — unless someone resumes the tradition next year — it will be added to the long list of "things gone."

Video Killed the Radio Star

Back in the early 80's, a little known band called The Buggles released a catchy little tune called "Video Killed the Radio Star," in a sense a reflection of the loss (at the time) of radio giving way to video.

As I considered our lost picnic, it made me think of how we are going through yet another major change point from the "physical" world to the "virtual" world.

In a sense, at least part of the demise of our neighborhood picnic can be attributed to the rise of a generation who live less and less in physical space. 

On a daily basis, watch them wander through our little art gallery here in town, viewing the world inside their handheld devices, rather than the actual world around them. A visit to a store almost seems like more of a chance to shoot some video and photographs and then go home and look at them on the screen.

Our Changing World

Don't misunderstand me here; I'm no Luddite, and I'm certainly not against change... although I'm at times inclined to agree with a friend of mine who often asserts that "progress is a one-word oxymoron."

Occasionally, I do get a little nostalgic, as I look around and observe the changes happening around us, and some of the things we have lost — and are losing:

The American Mall; a dying institution largely because "hanging out at the mall" is no longer a thing. And, of course, shopping patterns are changing.

Which means that retail stores are also a dying concept. People shop online. Or they run through stores to figure out what they want and then shop online. Either configuration will eventually kill retail shops... you can't make a living from people taking pictures of merchandise — I have first hand experience at that!

Live "Events" (and concerts) are slowly dying; instead being replaced by "simulcasts" to YouTube and other live streaming venues you can watch... from your couch at home.

Closer to what Mrs. Denmarkguy and I are involved with, in-person workshops are slowly going away, being replaced more and more by "webcasts" and online "hangouts." 

The Loss of Connection — a Contagion?

I'm actually not crying for "the good old days" here, I'm pondering the future of humanity.

I'm pondering a generation — and subsequent generations — who increasingly complain of feeling "disconnected" from each other and who show themselves increasingly unable to experience emotional intimacy with another person because... well, because it's less and less a part of the reality they live with.

I see a "disconnect" there; in a sense, I see more and more underlying reasons for why we see arbitrary violence and school shootings. 

No, I'm not talking about anti-depressants and psychological mumbo-jumbo... I'm talking about a decreasing ability to directly associate emotions — sadness, depression, anger, rage — with a physical body made of flesh and blood and bones. Lashing out in a fit of rage in virtual space only hurts pixels... and if you live entirely inside that world, you might end up losing sight of the fact that blasting the person across the room from you does NOT mean they get a "new life" in 30 minutes.

Yes, I realize that we are definitely "not there yet." But I fear we have started down that road, and we're already seeing the effect as the "early outliers" come to light.

Meanwhile, I feel sad that the picnic was canceled and — somehow — I will know my neighbors a little bit less.

Unless they are on Snapchat....

What do YOU think? What sort of changes have you seen around you, in the world? Are you old enough to have seen things simply "go away" as a sign of the times? Are there things you miss, even though you know they will never come back? Where do you think we are headed? Will humans end up completely disconnecting from each other... or will there be a "backlash" that reunites us? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!

created by @zord189

(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 180528 14:34 PDT