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Jasreet Pratap

Technology taking over

Opinion

Whether it be on a bus, a crowded street or even a local coffee shop, it’s hard to avoid a new era of Matrix-like droids, plugged into iPods or obsessively texting to friends they could easily be talking with face-to-face.

Cocooning – a term coined and popularized by ‘90s writer Faith Popcorn – is taking hold of our society, and leaving an epidemic of desocialized communities in its wake. Mostly described as a trend moving towards social isolation, cocooning has a strong grip on our society and also our economy.

Popcorn describes three types of accepted cocooning. Socialized describes people who prefer to do everything at home.

Armoured defines those who use technology to keep others out of their private lives. And wandering refers to people who use technology to isolate themselves in public.

All three are easy to recognize, and show little sign of future decline. Online restaurants, iPods, firewalls and privacy settings are all tools that enable this worrisome trend.

Businesses heeded Popcorn’s proclamations nearly two decades ago, which now allows virtually everything we want and need to be delivered to our front door with little fuss.

Sure, being able to order a movie through your cable provider rather than driving all the way to the rental store is convenient, but at what cost?

Recent studies are showing youth are increasingly prone to anxiety and panic attacks when forced to interact face-to-face. Furthermore, new graduates are finding it harder and harder to be successful within job environments that require meetings, or interpersonal interactions.

Empathy rates are at a new low as well, and children are finding it harder and harder to relate to each other. Video game sales are on the rise, and a tell-tale sign that escapism continues to be a popular coping mechanism.

With schools moving online, pod casts growing in popularity, and businesses targeting an increasingly agoraphobic consumer base, this trend is far from abatement.

Now under criticism from the medical community, cocooning is also shouldering partial blame for staggeringly high obesity rates.

While some may argue there’s no firm proof to declare cocooning as the culprit, common sense seems a strong ally in a case against social isolation.

Our economic status is also playing a part to encourage cocooning. With gas prices on the rise, and frugal spending at the forefront, our technological escapes are becoming more near and dear to us.
No more days of decompressing with friends over a meal recommended in the paper, or a trip to the local theatre. These days, home theatres and online restaurants are stealing not only our attention but our reformed recession budgets.

More and more we’re finding reasons to stay home, and away from our communities.

Neighbourhood watches have been replaced with home security and surveillance cameras, while several local craft fairs have relocated online.

This new era of desocialized humans isn’t just changing our economy, our education system, and our methods of communication, it’s allowing a spike in physical and sociological illness to run rampant.

Next time instead of texting, try meeting your friend at a local tea house to catch up. Or instead of throwing that LAN party, revisit a childhood board game instead.

Who knows, it may just save your sanity.

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