There’s a theory that every new consumer technological invention in history has either been instigated by, or at least been benefitted by, pornography. From the advent of the printing press (i.e. books and magazines) to photography, film, satellite TV, camcorders, VHS, DVD, the internet and smartphones were all advantageous to the pornography industry. Predictably, AI and virtual reality will also be used by the so-called adult entertainment industry more than most other industries.

My theory is that every new consumer technological invention benefits the individual at the expense of the communal. The advent of the printed book saw the decline of oral storytelling. TV, video and DVDs saw a huge drop in cinema attendance. Smartphones and the internet has seen the decrease of just about every communal activity that exists in modern life, from music and shopping to cinema and neighbourhood communities.

Despite all this twaddle about so-called social media, I firmly believe the internet to be anti-social (something that involves your head buried in a screen to the exclusion of the world around you is not social or communal in any way). In fact, the only time the internet was actually social was in its early days (like with much technology before it gets bought and monetised by the big corporations, there are halcyon days of freedom when anything seems possible) with the advent of the humble internet cafe. As this photo essay mourning the last internet cafes in the world mentions, they had a sense of community: “gathering space for in-person gathering and hanging out – the communal sharing of food, sharing a dream, being together in the same space,” says professor Richardo Gomez, who published a comprehnsive survey on cyber cafes (that also included libraries). Smartphones and 3G/4G technology eventually caused their downfall.

(I actually still go to the library – oh yeah, another communal place the internet has largely destroyed – to use their computers and print out documents.)

(Though interesting to note, I also blame technology for the death of community in cafes – modern cafes have the look, feel and sound of an office – all you hear is the tap tapping of laptops with all the atmosphere of a morgue. An ex-colleague once asked me why I’d never owned a laptop – you can take it anywhere, he exclaimed, as if that was a positive reason for having one. ‘Exactly’ was all I answered.)

It’s often that new technology replaces old technology without a backward glance, as The Buggles’ song Video Killed the Radio Star states. And I realise much old technology is still around – books, records – and that people still do communal stuff – sports, restaurants. I guess what I’m saying is it’s the pervasiveness of the internet which gets me, and the monetarism of everything in life, which the internet is partly to blame for. To the extent that all events, all experiences feel contrived, and require likes, reviews, feedback. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me.

Previously on Barnflakes
Recent thoughts (‘Buying experiences’ section)
The tedium is the message
Baths vs showers
London libraries
Office life