Earpods are a horrifying little bit of tech from the epic sci-fi show Doctor Who that I wish I could “unsee,” but alas, I cannot. To give you a basic description without scarring your mind, earpods were like Bluetooth earpieces but they could receive data independently of a cell phone and feed it directly into an individual’s brain. However, their true purpose was revealed when the Cybermen (genocidal cyborgs) used them to control peoples’ minds, turning them into biological robots.
I don’t know if the show’s writers was trying to write a story about the dangers of technology, but you could totally pull that meaning from this episode if you wanted. I thought of it recently as I realized just how isolating technology can be, especially if one wants it that way.
Tech as an Escape
Actor/comedian Larry Miller, on his podcast This Week with Larry Miller, once said something to the effect of, “When I see someone walking around in public with headphones in, I get mad. I demand that he have to live life with me and that we be hearing the same.” I remember hearing that and feeling bad because I know I’m “that guy,” who likes to isolate himself from the rest of the world. For example, I would wear my earbuds in Wal-Mart whenever I had to grocery shop so I could listen to podcasts on my iPhone. Is it because I really love podcast? Yes, but it’s also because I really don’t feel comfortable with the general public.
I was using my earbuds as a crutch, as an escape from the pressures of being with people.
But Jesus sent me to be with people.
Do you see the dilemma?
No More Robots
My state recently outlawed talking on the phone while driving, unless you are using a hands-free device. Bluetooth earpieces have become considerably more popular. It’s amazing to how earpieces went from being something that reserved for your awkward Uncle Dale, the one who wears black socks with sandals and inconceivably short shorts, to being something that “regular” people use on a daily basis.
I’m afraid that they Cybermen may be ready to strike. This hit me especially hard this morning was I was driving to work with my Bluetooth in my right ear, giving me a steady stream of worship music.
It felt very hollow, even discordant. Here I was, a low-level cyborg still trying to reach out on a spiritual level. I’m not saying that my earpiece is evil or that we should throw technology out. Perish the thought. But I am asking the questions,
“Are we using it too much? Has it become an escape or a crutch to overcome the difficulty of being the humans God made us to be?”
Let’s do our best to kill the robots within us. No more walking around the store with an earpiece in, ignoring the world. No more letting life go by while we obsessively check Facebook, then Twitter, then back to Facebook. (Sorry, G+!) Can we at least try? Again, please don’t misunderstand me. Technology is awesome and important, but it’s not neutral. It is changing us as we use it, and I’m very afraid that we’ll lose something very important to our humanity, something key to God’s purpose for us, if we persist in using technology without boundaries.
And that fear about us “losing something” through continued technological use? Not my original idea. Read The Time Machine by HG Wells. Way deeper of a read after high school.
Greg says
I can easily fall into that trap. While I am normally the person who “talks to everybody, even the people in line at Wal-Mart” (my kids description of me), there are times I just want to escape the interactions and I hide behind headphones or something.
I guess earpods/earbuds are the dark sunglasses of our time. Dark sunglasses used to mean, and probably still do to an extent, “I’m wearing these not just for sun but because I don’t want to make eye contact with you.”
Phil Schneider says
Greg, that’s a fantastic point about the sunglasses! Great comment!
Eric Dye says
This is so good.
Phil Schneider says
And once again, you illustrate my point so effectively.
Eric Dye says
Only because you’ve written your illustrations so effectively. 😛