It is tempting to give up on the rapid changes in the technology of communication and let the ýoung ones’ take over. Long ago I decided that Facebook was not for me – looking at pictures of cute kittens, holiday hotels and awesome meals wasted too much valuable time. The development of complex mobile phones and bluetooth devices has also demanded my attention but I refused to become involved with the technology. To an old fuddy duddy like me, all this new stuff seems unnecessary: it is more pleasant and effective to communicate directly, face to face; it is easier to read a book than a mobile phone screen, and it is much more fun to interpret a map than let an app show you the quickest way to get from A to B. I concede there is value in emails and blogs, but one must admit that writing in longhand on paper with a pen or pencil is aesthetically rewarding!
My distaste for the present obsession with social networks was confirmed by watching a TED talk recently which had been suggested by my sister: see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IujGf9DObuY which describes the influence of Facebook on the outcome of the Brexit referendum. It seems that we are at risk of being influenced and our thinking controlled by anyone who wants to promote a particular agenda, whether or not it is worthwhile. And concomitant with this potential for changing public opinion is the lack of ability, even the refusal, of the media companies to monitor and censor the content of their transmissions.
This reinforces the message of previous blogs – that we oldies still have much to contribute to our communities. It would be easier as elders to stand back and let the young úns take over. However, for the sake of sanity we should ignore the frenzy of communication via the new technology and reiterate loudly and frequently the long-standing truths that are essential to maintaining civil society: facts are superior to opinion; Science is superior to New Age beliefs and the latest food fads; acknowledgement of the range of difference in humans regarding their sexuality and gender preferences is preferable to misogyny and homophobia; internationalism is superior to right wing nationalism and racism, and so on. In this age of ‘fake truths’ spread by the uninhibited social media it is essential for civilisation that we continue to speak out and make our quaking voices heard above the tumult.
Renaissance not Retirement 