We make a lot of relatable jokes about millennials and Gen Z being afraid to answer the phone or the door, and being afraid to talk to neighbors or people in general. As an elder millennial, I’m among those who, despite growing up being forced to talk to people, are now frankly enjoying the ability to get food, groceries, and other purchases delivered to my door without having to see, make eye contact with, or talk to a single other human being.
Buuuuut…there’s a part of me that wonders if this wasn’t on purpose. Like, did the capitalistic “powers that be” deliberately create an environment in which we can have all the convenience of this modern life without any of the inconvenience of interacting with other humans? Why would they do that?
It’s because communities are a threat to this system. When neighbors talk over coffee, or at the bus stop, or at the corner store, or at the PTA meeting - when *communities* develop - they end up wanting to change things. People make changes happen when they’re together, in person, forming physical forces that, intentionally or not, directly threaten the people who are in charge.
Online communities are great, and serve a purpose, and raise awareness - we are all so much more aware of so many more things than we ever thought could be happening in pre-internet days, possibly to our detriment - but despite this awareness, and despite the warmth and welcome we are sometimes fortunate enough to find online, historically, change occurs around someone’s kitchen table, or at a local diner, or at a neighborhood town hall. Change happens when we talk to each other, in person. When we help a neighbor out. When we get together for board game nights and potlucks. When we throw block parties. When we build real, honest trust with each other.
I think they know that and that’s why they want us to isolate behind our screens. They profit from our gaze and our attention. They fear us when we look each other in the eye.
