Digital Hegemony: the Interplay of Technology and Capitalism, and How We Can Resist Them
Recognizing our agency and making conscious choices can help us reclaim control
Recently I was watching an episode of Black Mirror that begins with all the characters hooked up to stationary bikes.
Screens cover the entirety of their homes’ walls. Dialogue is absent as their digital realms absorb them. Some seem to have lost the ability to relate or converse altogether — or maybe they never had it to begin with.
Throughout the episode, there’s no sight of the sky or natural light. The continual exposure to their boxed-in existence made me, as a viewer, feel claustrophobic and restless. My mind checked out while my eyes remained open.
I want to preface all that I’m about to write by stating that I’m not the captain of the anti-technology ship. I think in some ways it’s remarkable, having opened doors to opportunities that were once unimaginable.
I met my last girlfriend on the internet, a connection that would have never formed otherwise. My most helpful therapist came from an online platform called Pride Counseling. The internet also introduced me to one of my closest friends.
