Just over 10 years ago, ABC televised a show called “Max Headroom.” The premise was simple —televisions could not be turned off and the TV networks decided what people talked and thought about.
I believe we’re on a collision course with a similar way of life. Sometime over the next 20 years or so, a yet-to-be-created consortium of computer manufacturers, or software publishers, will have become so incredibly powerful that they’ll influence lawmakers, pop-culture icons and society in general. Imagine an era when our home computers can’t be turned off and we’re forced to surf the net on a nightly basis—ignoring other forms of entertainment and lifestyles.
Sound outlandish? Of course it does, but then again so did the concept of people actually having home computers a mere 20 years ago. You see, a great number of things can happen in any given time frame. Take the Internet, for example. When I began playing with it three years ago the illusion was that only academics and serious junkies had an Internet address. Now, a few short months later, it seems as though everyone has an Internet address. In fact, I know people who look down upon those unfortunate few who have not yet jacked in.
And while the Internet has undoubtedly helped countless people in their careers and maybe made life a bit easier for some, at what point does all this become simply digital overkill? With the proliferation of Internet providers and services being offered by the large national online services, it’s only a matter of time before people without access to the “Information Superhighway” will feel left out and behind the times. Are these people useless? Of course not, but some boorish people will think they are and make them feel like they are.
And, at what point does having technological ability become a prerequisite for landing a job? What about those who can’t afford a Macintosh to surf with, or those who don’t think they can handle working a computer? Should these people be treated differently?
All this sounds ridiculous, but let me offer a few examples of technology-out-of-control: In the newspaper where I work, I have four electronic mailboxes which I must check every morning. I have my office Macintosh Microsoft Mail account; my Novell Microsoft Mail account and two mailboxes on our publishing system. Additionally I call out to check my AOL mail and my dial-up Internet account every morning. Combined, I spend 20-30 minutes checking electronic mail when I first get to work every day.
Granted, this may be extreme—for now. But I’m know I’m not alone. There are others who are answering the unheralded calls to be the flag-wavers on the digital frontier. I deal with a lot of company representatives, many of whom are employed by Apple. A certain Apple Account Executive I know carries the following with him on sales and marketing calls: a PowerBook 540c, a PowerBook Duo 280c and a Newton MessagePad 120. All this along with his digital pager and cellular telephone. Why? Because he feels that, as an employee of a technology leader, he should be able to demonstrate anything a customer wants to see.
Is he carrying this stuff because he feels he has to or because he thinks it looks cool? I’ll bet it’s because he feels he has to, otherwise he wouldn’t carry around the really, incredibly heavy 540c. To me, carrying around all this stuff is lunacy. Sure, I carry my PowerBook 520 with me, but it’s because I travel some and need mobile computing power, even if it is just to check all those mailboxes at the office.
The point I’m trying to make is that it’s really easy to let cool technologies dominate our lives. Starting with the simple cell phone in the car and moving progressively up the ladder to the point where we’re outfitted like my friend from Apple. It’s incredibly easy to fall into a technology trap.
I know. I’ve sorta been there.
If there were ever a support-group formed for recovering junkies, I think I’d be President. You see, I used to spend about nine hours a day surfing the Internet and dialing into BBSes around the country. And I did this as a 25-year-old adult!
I thought it was cool. I thought it was fun. I believed the Apple marketing engine. I lusted after the latest, greatest, most-powerful Macintosh in the universe. I contemplated buying a Macintosh IIfx in 1989 instead of a car. I began to believe what the marketing folks were writing on their PowerBooks a few years later. Something about “The Power To Be Your Best.”
Just like the world of Max Headroom, I think we’re on a path where the marketing folks will determine what’s important for us and what we do during non-work hours. In fact, Microsoft’s latest campaign of “Where Do You Want To Go Today” implies that simply by using a certain product you can transport yourself some place else. Some place, somewhere, some kid will power up his Windows-based PC and expect to be transported to Tibet—all because he saw a commercial on television. A television that has not been turned off in two days.
Maybe the band DEVO had it right a decade ago:
“We are not men, we are DEVO.”
Maybe we are evolving to the point of de-evolution.
 
Jim Hines explores the darker side of the Macintosh and PC culture in 'Blue Sunshine' Write to Jim at jhines@iglou.com, or simply 'Jim Hines' on America Online.
