The consequence of too much convenience seems to be a topic that may hold an ominous future for not only the current but future generations if left unchecked. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These days technology and our cellphones have streamlined activities that used be laborious and time-consuming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now there are countless apps, with some new ones being created as we speak, that can easily offer us shortcuts to purchase groceries, clothing or provide us a lift to work or an evening out on the town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not to mention many users are trusting ChatGPT to offer them advice or even act as their therapists and assess their insecurities nowadays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The irony is the more we absorb the content we curate for ourselves on our Instagram feeds, the more these platforms discover a pattern of interests they can exploit for profit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The breakneck speeds of internet and WiFi access at shopping malls, cafes and have also provided us so much opportunity to answer emails, conduct Zoom meetings or provide us a spot to download and stream an album or series we’re binging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sure these innovations would sound like a utopia to most who grew up in the 50’s and ’60s with their ears close to their radio sets or watching silent black and white shows while some who lacked a television would try to watch a sitcom from a neighbour’s window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those days the TV sets were tiny compared to today’s, with their 4K ultra-realistic resolutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The scary part of our fast-paced modern age is the length of time we spend staring at our cellphone screens and prompting our AI Chatbots tasks and staying productive, that we neglect our physical well-being, not to mention our spiritual lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Late-night doom-scrolling in our comfy beds watching endless streams of bite-sized content are straining our eyes and making us insomniac, as we entertain ourselves to funny videos and other sources of dopamine hits that form our personal user algorithms. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is important to know here is that we are spoonfed curated content, news and entertainment that could also align with our beliefs and ideologies, which could become problematic if one becomes trapped in loop content that strokes our egos without also challenging us to think. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hating and trolling remain as popular as ever, and in the comments sections users can be seen trying to compete for the wittiest comment or the nastiest remark, lambasting someone for their haircut or outfit choice. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sad reality is that CEOs of these social-media platforms care more for profit than bullying, as more comments mean more traction as engagement helps a post to keep appearing on people’s timelines despite how the insults have hurt the victim’s mental health. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It appears we can become so numb looking at all the chaotic news, especially with the endless updates of destroyed hospitals, schools and innocent lives lost in the bloodshed plaguing the Middle East, ironically the site of some of the holiest and most sacred places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And yet all the carnage we see on our cellphones becomes content for influencers who can use these tragic wars to fuel their political agendas and endless mudslinging with the left and the right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All the while the late John Lennon’s anthem of peace, “Imagine”, springs to mind, a familiar tune that seems to fall on deaf areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I pray that we start using these tools to reflect on ourselves more closely, instead of becoming more and more absorbed in the endless drama and ocean of content informing us how to live and what to like. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche famously said: “And if you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The consequence of too much convenience seems to be a topic that may hold an ominous future for not only the current but future generations if left unchecked. These days […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":301485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"60","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"3","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"24","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"Keanan Harmse","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"Techno-savs, don't gaze too long into abyss","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[24],"tags":[9410,8263,9411,7947,7991],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-301333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","tag-apps","tag-cape-town","tag-content","tag-education","tag-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\n