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one of the allures of contemporary capitalism is its emphasis on a ‘better life’, which generally equates to a life that is filled with luxuries — simple or complex — comfortabilities, conveniences, and the myth that to live in a capitalist society means that you work less. the narratives of what these things entail, and what their opposites are is deceiving.

we are working more than ever before. the simple act of posting ‘happy birthday’ on your sister’s facebook page, or scrolling through your instagram feed is labor. our conditioning is to not look at things this way, instead it is something we willingly do and seemingly enjoy. much of our digital life feels like a responsibility we must maintain, but never question the reasons why. if we are to withdraw, will we then become anti-social? will your closeness with your friends and family diminish? many times, it will.

people pride themselves on their ability to multitask, to be more productive, to operate on less sleep, to accumulate more objects, more forms of currency—whether in the form of likes, views, reshares, hard cash etc.—and to what ends? this can’t be happiness, can it? to achieve these goals we need to outsource practically everything. “yeah i know the store is only a few blocks from my house but it’s a pain in the ass to carry the groceries from there, i’ll just order blue apron at work so it’ll be there when i get home. i like making my own food.” (laughs)

we have become nearly incapable of living a life without the device, without the app, without the algorithm. many people feel they can’t find romance without these mostly ‘free’ platforms to do a large amount of the difficult work for them. however there’s more than just a subscription fee for this service: the input of avataric and intimate information, the communication that results and the subsequent reliance upon the program. the presentation of all this equates to an easily digestible commodity that can be swiped left or right, depending on ones split second evaluation. developed and lasting relationships can form from these platforms but then hold with them the watermark of their maker. “we met on tinder, and are now best friends” “the best sex i’ve ever had in my life was with someone i met on scruff” “at 35 i’d never been in love, okcupid introduced me to my partner and my life hasn’t been the same since” and i believe them. some tools do accomplish what they say they intend to.

“there’s no such thing as love any more, only fucking.” the young people interviewed in the spring break-themed documentary Liberated: The New Sexual Revolution apply these digital habits to their annual migration to beach front locations, openly acknowledging the (mostly) mutual lack of connection to someone outside of their image and brief orgasmic worth. people become a statistic to be bragged about to their friends. the programmed, when temporarily removed from their devices, have learned that value comes in the form of brief pleasures: meat mimics code. sex, which in a prior time was about the most physical and sensual you could get, has semiotically become the sign, rather than the signified. with publicly facing platforms like instagram, snapchat, youtube, and twitter, the earnings amount to dopamine rushes in the form of notifications, and social capital thru statistics and subsequent influence. these digital indicators of value can transition into federal currencies: record contracts, advertising residuals, sponsored content plugs and others.

the desire and constant pursuit of experiences is almost always accompanied by some form of documentation that is then shared. experience is mediated no longer thru one’s physical senses but through a device that distributes the information to others. is this how collective consciousness is formed? is this how humanity gets out of an individualistic and lonely society into one with a collective purpose and meaning? perhaps it is a way of being ‘free’ within oppressive structures, the oppression just hasn’t been realized in its totality yet, both in the minds of the masters and of the slaves.

we let the programs filter for us because it knows what we want better than we do ourselves. the sheer amount of choice is debilitating without some slick guidance, a combination of internal promotion as well as the analysis of watching and listening habits. without these features, your mind draws a blank. the inability to get lost infers a reliance on external systems for survival. when you get out the precinct or the hospital, how do you get home on your own? without the knowledge of how to exist without assistance you’re left to learn when it’s too late.

IT’S 12 AM AND FOR SOME REASON THE TRAFFIC IS BAD SO YOU GET OUT OF YOUR LYFT EARLY. YOU’RE WALKING IN A NEIGHBORHOOD YOU’VE BEEN TO A COUPLE OF TIMES BUT ALWAYS USE GOOGLE MAPS SO YOU’RE NOT TOO FAMILIAR WITH IT. THE MUSIC FROM YOUR HEADPHONES IS LOUD ENOUGH TO DROWN OUT THE AMBIENT SOUND. YOU’RE WEARING A HOOD BECAUSE IT’S COLD. YOU GET A TEXT MESSAGE FROM YOUR CRUSH, “R U ALMOST HERE?” YOU SMILE AND REPLY, “YES ON MY WAY! I THINK I’M A COUPLE OF BLOCKS AWAY”. YOU STARE AT THE SCREEN, WAITING FOR A REPLY. YOU’VE BEEN OBLIVIOUS TO THE MAN WHO ASKED YOU A QUESTION ON THE CORNER AND IS NOW FOLLOWING YOU. DISTRACTED, YOU TURN DOWN THE WRONG STREET. LOOKING AROUND YOU SEE SOMEONE WALKING TOWARDS YOU FROM THE DIRECTION YOU NEED TO GO. YOUR PHONE VIBRATES, YOU LOOK DOWN, YOUR PERIPHERAL VISION DARKENS AS YOU STARE AT THE GLOWING SCREEN. SUDDENLY, YOU FEEL AN AGGRESSIVE PUSH, AND SUBSEQUENT PULL ON YOUR DEVICE. YOUR EYES HAVEN’T ADJUSTED TO THE AMBIENT LIGHT, YOU’RE STUNNED. THE HEADPHONES RIP OUT OF YOUR EARS, YOU SEE SOMEONE RUNNING DOWN THE BLOCK. IN A BRIEF STATE OF SHOCK YOU LOOK AROUND, NO ONE SEEMS TO BE OUTSIDE. YOU WALK TO THE END OF THE BLOCK, WHERE YOU JUST CAME FROM, AND ARE CONFUSED. THIS IS WHERE YOU JUST CAME FROM, RIGHT? YOU RECENTLY TRANSITIONED INTO ONLY USING APPLE PAY SO YOU DIDN’T BRING YOUR WALLET TONIGHT. SUYDAM, KNICKERBOCKER, MYRTLE, DEKALB, WYCKOFF, NOTHING SOUNDS FAMILIAR, YOU NEVER HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO THOSE THINGS. YOU KEEP WALKING AND COME TO WHAT APPEARS TO BE A BUSY STREET. YOU WAVE A CAB DOWN AND OPEN THE DOOR. “I JUST HAD MY PHONE STOLEN AND DON’T HAVE ANY CASH BUT I’M LOST AND DON’T KNOW HOW TO GET TO MY HOUSE. IS THERE ANY WAY--“ THE DRIVER DOESN’T WAIT FOR YOU TO FINISH, HE’S GONE. YOU SEE A BAR DOWN THE BLOCK SO YOU GO INSIDE. YOU TELL THE BARTENDER YOU JUST HAD YOUR PHONE STOLEN AND WERE WONDERING IF YOU COULD USE THEIR COMPUTER TO LOG ON TO YOUR FACEBOOK TO CONTACT YOUR FRIEND SINCE YOU DON’T HAVE THEIR NUMBER MEMORIZED. THE INTERNET IS DOWN, TRY THE SPOT DOWN THE STREET. “I DON’T KNOW WHERE THAT IS, COULD YOU WRITE THE DIRECTIONS DOWN?” EXASPERATED, THEY SAY “JUST MAKE A LEFT AT MELROSE AND YOU’LL SEE IT ON THE NORTHWEST CORNER” “NORTHWEST… SO IS THAT ON THE RIGHT OR LEFT SIDE OF THE STREET?” “FIGURE IT OUT”. WALKING OUT, YOU FORGET IF THEY HAD SAID LEFT OR RIGHT, YOUR GUT SAYS RIGHT SO YOU DO THAT. YOU SEEM TO BE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH LESS BUSINESSES, EVEN THE BODEGA’S ARE CLOSED. YOU TURN AROUND AND WALK BACK TO THE BAR BUT NOW THERE’S A BOUNCER, YOU CAN’T COME IN WITHOUT IDENTIFICATION. YOU TRY GOING LEFT ON THE SAME STREET AND SEE ANOTHER BAR IN THE DISTANCE. THIS TIME, THEY LET YOU USE YOUR COMPUTER, BUT THEN YOU REALIZE YOU CAN’T REMEMBER YOUR PASSWORD. AFTER 5 TRIES, YOUR ACCOUNT IS LOCKED AND YOU NEED TO RESET VIA EMAIL. YOU DON’T HAVE THAT PASSWORD EITHER.

who knew life would be this hard without the device?

there must be something lacking in the meat space time spent with other humans since a constant interaction with the device is almost a given. what does one get out of communicating with ppl through the device that they don’t get irl? it seems as though the programmers have tapped into a set of tools that heightens the appearance of the quality of life that prior civilizations were unable to achieve. colonial america and its subsequent institution of ‘democracy’ and alleged inclusion required an erasure of what was there before in order to provide the factors white people must have to live a good, safe, and fulfilled life. but was it enough? in 2018, are we as a society erasing our own version of ‘what was there before’ in an attempt at a new and better life? erasure comes at a cost; in colonial america it was genocide, in the present day perhaps it is the vestiges of human autonomy. is the mass dying marked by the anthropocene a mirror image of humanities transition into a largely digital existence? is physical human existence a concept of the past?

throughout the history of civilization it has appeared that people want to be simultaneously free and governed. perhaps we are living the best version of it, and it’s about to get better. we’re giving everything we have, and everything we want, to companies and programs and networks that have access to literally every part of our lives, but are freer than ever! it’s a prison warden, a king, a ceo’s wet dream: we can see everything you’re doing, we know exactly what you’re thinking, and we can change what you do, how you do it, and create desire for things you never knew you needed, let alone wanted. this all comes in the package of choice and convenience. freedom of speech is getting to post what you had for brunch, as well as your latest venmo transaction. freedom of religion is the allegiance to your clan in world of warcraft (subscription fee is still $14.99 a month though) and your retweet of a meme about leo's freedom to buy and be the brands you identify with to a dazzling effect: a blue patagonia vest is deray, gucci is an adjective, sunglasses, and a rapper all in one.

can we even see the systems of control any more? in electoral politics, the theater is externalized, and when it's applied to the individual, it's as a chore and alleged duty: you gotta pay your taxes, your shamed if you don't vote. there is no shame in the type of network participation the new form of governance requires; at least with facial recognition data collection you can choose between looking like a cat or having heart shaped arrows shot at your face in the process. we are living through an infrastructural transition from electoral political structures as the primary means of governance to that of silicon valley, and it is taking place in a way that is as subversive as it is obvious. the types of technology that american capitalism has birthed is manifesting as a culture of hyper-choice and a sense of uninhibited freedom like no other.

perhaps this is all a misguided attempt at becoming god, the ultimate symbol of power and safety. civilization brings with it a level of elevation and detachment from the ground that, in the past 150 years, has yielded technologies like airplanes, skyscrapers, the internet, space x, all tools that contend with gravity differently but with a shared goal of getting off of the earth. that feeling when you want to die but not actually die. don’t forget, nothing is free, everything costs something.

A YOUNG PUERTO RICAN MOTHER HUSTLES HER 2 SMALL CHILDREN ONTO A SUBWAY CAR WHILE PUSHING AN INFANT IN A CARRIAGE. SHE HAS EARBUDS ON AND IS FACETIMING WITH HER COUSIN. A WHITE MAN IN HIS 30S WITH OVER THE EAR HEADPHONES SWITCHES BETWEEN HIS INSTAGRAM AND TWITTER FEEDS, OBLIVIOUS TO THE SUBWAY CAR’S RECENT ADDITIONS, HE STAYS SEATED. A MIDDLE AGED TRINIDADIAN MAN GETS OUT OF HIS SEAT AND BECKONS TO THE MOTHER, SHE DOESN’T MISS A STRIDE IN HER CONVERSATION AND SITS WHERE HE HAD JUST BEEN. SHE ENDS HER CALL AND OPENS FACEBOOK. HER CHILDREN ARE RUNNING UP AND DOWN THE SUBWAY CAR, ALMOST TRIPPING ON FEET AND LOSING THEIR BALANCE BECAUSE OF THE TRAINS MOTION. SHE SCROLLS AND SCROLLS UNTIL ONE OF HER KIDS STARTS YELLING HER NAME FROM ACROSS THE CAR, SHE IGNORES THEM, THEY RUN UP TO HER AND START HITTING HER KNEE, “WHAT DO YOU WANT?!” SHE BURSTS OUT. “WATCH THIS! WATCH THIS!” THE CHILD SAYS, THEN RUNS TO THE POLE ON THE FURTHEST END OF THE CAR AND SPINS AROUND IT. TURNING TO LOOK AT THEIR MOTHER, THEY REALIZE SHE RETURNED HER ATTENTION TO THE DEVICE AND NEVER SAW THE TRICK.

we have reached peak civilization: convenience is king, what was once seen as a luxury is now the base standard of living; how can this not be good? looking back, it seems telling that when the european colonizers joined the native tribes, whether thru capture or desertion, more often than not they preferred a life devoid of civilization. in pre-colonial america, tribal communities lived with each other their whole lives. infants and children slept with, or in close proximity to, their parents. meaning and purpose was derived from the act of surviving together as a community, as family.

the accumulated suppression of a life of meaning is manifesting itself in the identitarian politics of today, revealing a tribal quest for meaning through war. historical narratives are largely based on good and evil, concepts which have become understood to be subjective. the appeal of isis, black lives matter, trumpian nationalism, standing rock, etcetera, is that these groups offer defined enemies and have defined networks and identities that can be plugged into to oppose these enemies. through the ensuing fights, a seeming solidarity can be achieved, a collective purpose. it would seem to me unlikely for these groups to manifest in the way that they have without the interconnected, digitally addicted culture we currently reside in. however, as powerful as these technologies have demonstrated themselves to be, they are accompanied with an internal chemical release that, like cocaine, feeds the individual ego. is there the potential for a lasting interpersonal bond when the methods in which it is achieved are largely self-serving?

true camaraderie is the knowledge that even when faced with death, the sustenance of the group is what is most important, individual ego is checked. how can you trust someone when they’re only looking out for themselves? in an age where 69% of adults have taken a selfie, is self-absorption normalized beyond critique? is it the infrastructure in which we navigate the world? and if so, does it interfere with the ability to experience a true sense of camaraderie with another person/group?

marjory stoneman douglas high school, parkland, florida, valentine’s day 2018, an 18 year old man arrives with an ar-15 and 300 rounds of ammunition. seemingly indiscriminately, he opens fire on the students and teachers, shooting as fast as he can. for some, their panic causes them to fall to the floor with their hands on their heads, crying, shaking, in a state of shock. for others, their immediate impulse is to live stream on facebook and instagram, while others upload clips to snapchat with captions like “our school is getting shot up”. with bullets flying over their heads, the screen is still the most important thing. there is a reluctance to disengage from the devices even when the militant swat team enters the building, yelling orders and demanding their phones be put down.

and for what reason are these event's being documented and broadcast in this manner? is there the thought that — much like body cameras on police — maybe a first person account of unwarranted violence and atrocity will bring an end to it all? or is life only lived if it is mediated and ‘shared’?

jesse hlebo

february 25/march 21, 2018