The Analog Man

I remember when life was a little more analogue. As much as I love sitting here in my apartment, tapping away on a neat little laptop, connected by Wi-Fi, while watching Sky on a HD television and my sizeable smartphone, which might as well be a tablet on the side charging, I think I preferred an analogue existence.

A mobile phone was a phone. The most extravagant thing you could do was send a text message with no more than 140 characters and it cost 10p a pop. This meant being thoughtful and sending something with substance. You had the choice of replying within a more relaxed time frame, without the other person being able to track and spy on your every move that is now the case with WhatsApp.

Watching a film at home was an event. Going down to the local Blockbuster videos, scouring the shelves and reading the backs of the DVD's - giddy at the prospect that you may have been the one to stumble upon a hidden gem of a film. Renting it out, getting a few snacks and drinks, then heading back home all set to watch a film with your friends without any of them distracted by smartphones and social media apps.

Nowadays, all I do is pour over hundreds, if not thousands of films at my disposal too confused to know what to put on.

It's funny, how in 2016 with all this stuff at my disposal I find myself more bored and numb to it all. There is too much available too quickly. This then creates the inevitable feeling that everything is out of date the minute it comes out. This insatiable consumerism is clouding my sense of reality. The here and now has been polluted with the, "what's next?" No one wants to just chill and enjoy the simple things here and now. Everything is a competition. Everything needs updating. Everything is so last year. Last week. Yesterday.

I am an analogue person stuck in a digital world. Don't get me wrong, as stated at the beginning of this open letter. I've embraced technology happily. I'm not that stupid that I think still using a Nokia 3210 in 2016 would be acceptable.

However, I do feel like I am in a minority when it comes to agreeing with what is perceived as normal. Taking photos before every dinner I eat and then sharing that photo with everyone? This is not normal. Everyone then commenting on what I am eating? This is not normal. Filming myself walking down the road either talking to myself... or worse yet, not saying a thing and just turning my head at awkward angles while raising my eyebrows and pouting my lips, then sharing this clip with everyone? This is not normal. Filming strangers. Filming acts of violence. Filming myself shopping. Taking photos of myself in a changing room in Zara. The list goes on. Non of this is normal.

Why can't everyone just go shopping or eat their dinner without showing us every five minutes? People are literally documenting their every move and sharing it with everyone. There is some ridiculous fact I remember reading somewhere; that years and years worth of video footage is uploaded to YouTube every minute. When archeologists unearth all this video footage in the future, they will know exactly what type of food we ate and what clothes we wore, but not much else.

Remember when a camera was a camera? It had film. You took pictures of other people or things, not just yourelf. You got the film developed at a chemist or camera shop. You rushed back to see the quality your camera skills and relive the memories of good times. Something tangible. Some you might even frame. Some you may even share as a gift.

Now photos are all digital. Very rarely would you print one. Frame one. There's nothing special about them really. "WhatsApp me those photos," is a normal forceful request now. Your phone gets full, and then something needs to get deleted. Repeat cycle.

I love the luxury of digital technology, but I miss the quality of an analog mindset.



Joshua, TCC