TedTalk:
Babies and baby monitors
Even things that do not need to be measured, such as when is the best time for babies to fall asleep at and how to make that happen, is normalized in turn to create more perfect schedules that cater to the 9-5 working class. Because we do live in such a capitalistic state, a lot of our forefathers had intentions to “monopolize” time. When the industrial revolution hit, it became systematic that workers and time schedules be kept documented, and in turn commodified. In this way, time has steadily progressed as an item of commodity that can be transformed and utilized through machinery and every day “pleasure” mechanics that prioritize the keeping of a same, daily schedule. It is natural, for people to want consistency in their lives, of course, yet this consistency is going towards an idealized system of production, complacency, and behavior.
Technologies or medicines that are applied for one specific reason might be transformed into an every day usage of different data gathering, one that works more with convenience than necessity. Such as fit bits, that once may have been of relation to step-monitors for people trying to track their activities, are not widely used even for the most healthiest of people, so they can continue being healthy.
Social Photography:
Are we more aware of the present, then? Underneath it all, or aware that the present could very well be the past in a matter of seconds? Are we choosing to see 5 steps ahead instead of living in the moment?
I think this could be a phenomenon thats invoking a lot of quarter-life crisis’. I’ve noticed this in myself, as well as amongst the peers I’ve been talking to, have been feeling like their future is so uncertain because of certain, certains. This could include loans, job prospects, debt, etc. I also think this immortalization of online media that captures and solidifies moments such as births, deaths, or diseases, life events, life falls, etc., makes us more susceptible to be looking into the future, expecting these moments to happen. I don’t think that because we are able to see so many social photos documenting loss or pain, that its exactly making us more empathetic to it. I think we are rather disconnected from the moment because what we see on our social media feeds confirms our worst fears, and perhaps we become desensitized to it, as well as compartmentalize it.
Social Media:
This enumeration of Facebooks metrics makes me think of grade school and how teachers would create a “good-behavior” chart, and would write everyones names down in columns and rows awaiting to be labeled with glittery star stickers. This type of comparison to other students, as well as being able to see who got the most stickers, is a bit cruel to me. For some, this worked, as they saw that others were getting more stars than them. For some, this could be very disheartening, causing them to fight back against the grain. This type of mentality, that we will always be comparing ourselves to others, even though we might not want to, is ever more present in meta interfaces like social media that frame the individual viewing and the subject, as comparable. This is further solidified though the use of numbers, of course, like the article said.