Inspired by a combination of recent social trends to go offline and reduce screen time and a TikTok by user @swifty1100, who proposed the strange and off-putting nature of seeing an escalator at rest or tapping a phone screen only to receive no response, I had an urge to venture through this vein of thought. Though there was, of course, a time before the internet and technology, how would today’s world function if the machines said “No”?
Picture this: today, the machines said “No.” You wake up late because your alarm didn’t go off. You go to scroll on your phone, like you do every morning, and your phone lies there, lifeless. After asking your roommate about it and establishing that neither of your phones works, you agree to go to the dining hall. However, you can’t get ready, since the lights don’t work. Coffee is out, since your espresso machine is high-tech and electronic. You try to use the elevator, and you realize you have to use the stairs! Walking up to the dining hall, you realize it is closed, since they cannot keep the ingredients cold with no refrigeration. This is all in just about a 2-hour period. Virtually nothing can be done without technology.
So, what would it look like if we switched a few parts of our lives to analog alternatives? You’d wake up to your alarm clock, put a vinyl record on, make coffee with a French press, and go on a walk with a friend. On this walk, you want to take photos of the tulips on campus, so you pull out your film camera. Although switching every part of life to a non-tech version is not completely realistic, it can help to log off every once in a while. Using things like a manual coffee maker or a record player helps to increase the whimsy in one’s life, causing us to be more curious and wonder how things actually work, instead of trusting a machine to live our lives for us.
This scenario, while hypothetical, is truly a wake-up call to how much of a grip technology has on our world. While medical technology, electricity, and other modern innovations are extremely positive creations that ensure the longevity and efficiency of our lives, remembering that there is a world out there, one that doesn’t get “likes” or “reposts,” is also important. Reminding ourselves to literally go touch grass is a great way to acknowledge that we are living, breathing creatures, and that occasionally going analog can actually be very refreshing.