The Overabundance of the Present

Ever present noise has made us a shallow generation

Never have we been more interconnected; never has there been so much content creation and distribution; never has there been such an assault on our attention. The results are self-involved exhausted minds that are trying hard to stay on top of the present. Why are we so self-involved, how did we get here and what are the consequences?

DEMOCRATISATION & ACCELERATION

A number of things have happened over the last 50 years that have fundamentally changed the immediacy with which we communicate and receive content. One and a half generations ago landlines and snail mail were the way to connect. Now we have distributed mobile computing that empowered by 5G allows for instant video telephony from the street corner. This allows us to stay in (low) touch with a lot more people throughout our lives across cities, countries, time zones. The pace of communication is orders of magnitude faster than a few decades ago, while the costs are orders of magnitude less expensive.

Books, newspapers, radio and TV were the delivery mechanisms of content and they would run on a compared to today sporadic schedule. This was a world of pull not a world of push. Apart from billboards, direct mailing campaigns, sales calls and the occasional Jehovah's Witnesses on the doorstep, there was no content forced upon us. We sought out content by overcoming some friction via the dominant platforms. We waited for the newspaper delivery in the morning or the programmed evening news. We went to the library to read the book and arranged our schedules to catch our favourite show on TV. Compare this sort of friction laden content consumption with the world of slick mobile computing enabled 24/7 push notification distribution.

At the same time there has been a democratisation in the means of content creation and distribution. Professional music production required music studios with tens of thousands worth of equipment. Photography required expensive cameras that only worked with elaborate setup. Film recording required even more expensive bulky equipment. Even if you had the wherewithal to create any such content the distribution was controlled by kingmaker elites. Now of course you create your song, video, post with cheaply available consumer electronics and upload it to many platforms with billions of users in an instant. Post internet and personal computing revolution everyone can create anything and distribute it all from home.

Parallel to these technological shifts (and in part perpetuated by them) we have (at least in the west) become more individualistic societies. Consumer capitalism has emphasised personal choice and self-expression. Urbanisation has lead to traditional community ties being weakened. Traditional institutions such as organised religion and local communities have waned while individual choice and personal beliefs have become more important (I call this the God Gap and will dedicate another post to it). Cultural movements with the focus on equality have also emphasised personal freedom, self-expression, and individual rights. The move from manufacturing-based economies to service-based ones means that personal skills, talents, and branding have become more central to economic success. The result of this individualism paired with social media platforms that connect us all real-time requires us to update Descartes dictum to I think, therefore I post. This leads to the explosion of a new social content category that on top of all the commercial content (which thanks to democratisation is efficiently being created in higher volumes as well) is vying for our attention.

DISTRACTION & DISCONNECTION

None of the trends above are objectively a bad thing but in the limit and in combination they are causing havoc on our societies. The ease of communication leads to many overflowing inboxes 24/7 that allow for immediate and quasi free messaging with many more people than was ever possible (or manageable). We can spend all our lives on social media just following our first degree connections. Their amazing holidays, lunches, coffees and lives are on Instagram and their professional accolades and validation seeking posts (I've got a post on this) are on Linkedin for us to consume at any time. Recommender algorithms allow us to peer into the lives of others as well. Second degree connections and complete strangers with open profiles are happily sharing away. Many lifetimes of content to discover in endless feeds. We are wired for gossip and want to fit in, so devouring this content comes natural.

Everyone is a one person media company, competing in the ever more crowded content space. This ties people to the success metrics of shareholder capitalism. The sinister by product is a philosophy that views the present as an opportunity to farm future likes. It equally de-emphasises the present given that the Instagram subroutine running in our brain constantly distracts us (this sunset is beautiful and can be exchanged for social currency) and makes it the most important resource in our arsenal for attention supremacy. The quality of the moment is traded for the quantity of potential future dopaminergic payoffs. Participating in this game is the epitome of self-involvement.

The ability for commercial content to be created more easily is great, as it is allowing for more people to express their creativity and get paid for it. It has also spawned numerous sub-cultures that were unthinkable before. The downsides are plenty. We are overwhelmed with the breadth and depth of available content. When more content is uploaded to Youtube in a day than one human can consume in a lifetime, we will always have to play catch up with the present. There is no break in sight. Generative AI is going to make this problem infinitely worse in no time (I have a separate post on the matter). If there is an abundance of current content that is recommended to us continuously, it becomes hard to seek out anything beyond the present.

All this is perpetuated by distributed mobile computing that provides trojan horses for all these actors to inundate us with notifications. The shift from a pull to a push world and its impact on our mental health is not well understood. However, it is undeniable that attention spans have never been as short as today. The attention of humans is the most valuable resource in the known universe, so hijacking it becomes the economic imperative (to learn how to protect yourself against this read this post). The bombardment of notifications to the trusty pane of glass in my pocket that has become one of my most cherished and intimate possessions, results in a permanent partial attention culture. There are always more notifications and corresponding pieces of content than we could ever consume.

The result of the all encompassing abundance is a continuous race to chase the present. We are incapable to ever be up to date with a faster more interesting world. It is hard enough to stay in the know about the things we care about, let alone about the things that others want us to care about. So we connect, we observe, we chase, we consume, we get hijacked continuously until we are exhausted. The cycle repeats itself until we are running on empty. Who cares what happened in the past if I can't even stay on top of what's going on right now.

The above is somewhat extreme. Some of us may delve into the past or continue to enjoy the music we grew up with rather than chasing the new thing. Prior generations do like pointing out how they can't relate to the tastes of those following them. This is not disproving any of the above. It is not changing the fact that the present is denser, louder, more intense and more colourful than any present has been in the past. Resisting it is hard but what do we lose by not doing so?

LOSING OUR ANCHORS

The Relentless needs of the present are gradually unmooring us from the rich tapestry of history, traditions, and accumulated wisdom that have shaped human societies for millennia. In the race to stay updated, there's less time for reflection and critical thinking. We become passive consumers rather than active thinkers, leading to a susceptibility to misinformation and groupthink.

By not looking back, we miss out on understanding the patterns of human behaviour, successes, failures, and the lessons they offer. Every event in the present has historical antecedents. Without that context, our interpretations can become shallow. The more we understand the past, the more dimensions of context we uncover. Seeing the world with more dimensions allows for a richer assessment of reality. A current example being the historical context of the Middle East conflict.

Deep-rooted traditions, art, literature, and philosophies give societies their unique character. Immersion in only contemporary content can dilute that richness, leading to a homogenised global culture lacking depth and nuance. I am a fan of Marvel movies too but they are not the best humanity can produce. Delving into past culture allows us to consider what values we've lost and which one's we've gained. We can be inspired by culturally divergent thinking that might allow us to question current norms.

Ancient texts, teachings, and philosophies contain time-tested wisdom. Relying solely on contemporary thought can deprive us of insights about the human condition that have withstood the test of time. Not having any knowledge of those makes it easier for Andrew Tate's to hijack brains. There is something to be said about understanding the current Zeitgeist and communicating in an appropriate way for our times. However, when the cheapest parlour tricks are perceived as wisdom then it's clear that the richness of past thought has not been considered.

By studying history, we understand the adversities faced by previous generations, which can provide perspective on our own challenges and foster resilience. Of course the goal of civilisation is to reduce unnecessary suffering but not being informed about the range of human emotions and responses that accompany life's ups and downs creates false expectations. Knowing that others have felt and navigated similar emotions helps us to normalise our experiences and develop coping strategies rather than expecting the world to coddle us.

All this somehow cumulates in an ignorance of the past that allows some people to suggest that today are the worst times. Being able to make that claim and get away with it allows for strongmen to raise. On many metrics today is the best time to be alive. It may be that we somehow perceive today to be more polarised than ever but this is easily debunked by just time traveling to the 70s. It's the luxury of a generation that hasn't explored or experienced the horrors of a world war that can claim today are the worst times. We can do better than that.

REGAINING BALANCE

To regain balance in our lives, amidst the cacophony of the ever-present now, we must consciously take action. We need analog time, silent spaces to be bored, thoughtful interaction with technology and media, new narratives of what matters, and more depth.

Our engagement with the digital world that permeates everything we do requires a shift towards a more thoughtful and intentional approach. This involves curating a healthy content diet that nourishes our minds with diverse perspectives and meaningful discourse, rather than empty calories of sensationalism and triviality of the present. It means using technology as a tool for enhancement, not escapism, and recognising when it begins to encroach upon our mental health. We must also craft and subscribe to new narratives about what truly matters in life. It's about prioritising depth over breadth, seeking connections that are genuine and conversations that are enriching. The benefit of conversations with the past and dead people is that they don't have any vested interests. This way we foster a culture that values wisdom over wit, reflection over reaction, and enduring truths over ephemeral trends.

I'm aware that you who are reading this are the proverbial choir. However, even as someone who feels reasonably informed about the downsides of the increased noise, I still feel its continuous draw and temptation. The newest headline, the newest show, the newest album, the newest AI tool, that meme everyone is talking about. I'm not suggesting the life of a hermit but finding a balanced interaction with the present to create space to explore the past. It is humbling to see oneself in this long chain of 100 billion people who have lived before us to build this civilisation.

By reestablishing these connections to our collective history, we can develop a more grounded sense of self, a better understanding of our place in the continuum of time, and a more informed vision for the future. It's not just about resisting the allure of the present; it's about weaving the threads of the past into the fabric of now, creating a tapestry that fully represents the human narrative. This is not a retreat into nostalgia but an advancement into a future informed by the richness of human experience.

CONCLUSION

Human history is not merely a reservoir of facts and dates, but a wellspring of experiences, emotions, and lessons that can profoundly shape our understanding of the world. To live solely in the now, to be dazzled only by the immediate, is to walk through a gallery of human achievement with our eyes half-closed. We risk becoming captives of the moment, our perspectives narrowed, our insights shallower. The past, with its stories of triumphs and tragedies, offers a depth of understanding that the fleeting present cannot.

Thus, as we navigate through this era of deafening digital noise and societal shifts, let us cultivate a balanced approach. Let us be curators of our own minds, carefully selecting not just the contemporary but also the historical, blending them to enrich our perspectives. In doing so, we can resist the shallowness that pervades much of modern discourse. By acknowledging the giants upon whose shoulders we stand, we can reach greater heights of wisdom and understanding. In the grand narrative of humanity, every chapter, old and new, is crucial. Let's read the entire book, not just the latest page.