Think Different; Think Less
The Enviable Task of Unquestioning Obedience
L. M. Chavdarov
THINKING IS HARD; WON’T SOMEONE PLEASE DO IT FOR ME? Throughout the most tragic, and memorable part of history, nestled within the pages of textbooks, and haunting black-and-white images, exists tales of despicable figures who “took care” of everything for us. One interesting piece of anti-Nazi propaganda during WWII states that “Hitler does our thinking for us, Goebbels does our speaking for us, Goring does our eating for us, and all we [the German soldiers] have to do is die.” It’s an unsettling summation of a bygone era, yet one can draw uncanny parallels to our age of digital domination. In our present day, one must wonder where the powers that be are guiding us. Mark Zuckerberg manages our friendships for us, Jeff Bezos shops for us, Elon Musk acts the clown of this great circus, and all we have to do is… “live”?
Hitler 2.0: Thoughtcrime? Yes Please.
More so than France, Poland, or even Germany, Hitler’s domain was the minds of his citizens. Are we really any less brainwashed? We allow algorithms to predict and guide our next purchase, or television binge-watch, or even our next romantic partner. While comparing Netflix to Nazis is, admittedly, extreme, there is an eerie resonance – especially given the media’s potential to affect important decisions, such as voting. These algorithms are easy to listen to, but at what cost? The pleasure of discovery, the joy of serendipity, and the satisfaction of original thought – all of it sacrificed at the altar of unthinking convenience.
Search engines anticipate our queries before we even finish typing. “Did you mean this?” they ask patronisingly, when our keystrokes stray from the anticipated. Who are we to defy the omniscient corporations that “know” what we’re thinking? More importantly: who will we be, once these technological behemoths advance to the point that they really do know?
Goebbels 2.0: Speak, Echo, Repeat.
In Nazi Germany, Goebbels controlled the narrative, moulding the media to echo the party line. Fast forward to the 21st century, and you’ll find that your newsfeed is a constant bombardment of articles, videos, and sound bites that serve only to reinforce your (Government sanctioned) pre-existing beliefs. Free speech? Sure – but if you want freedom after speech, make sure you don’t fall into any of the fourteen categories (such as whistleblowing) which the Australian Government prosecutes. Online anonymity is an illusion; our comments, and feed are a distracting echo chamber-filled only with the “right” things.
What little originality we’re permitted is nonetheless trapped within the cage of likes, shares, and retweets. Amidst this, the role of modern-day ‘Goebbels’ – the algorithmic manipulation of everything you see – is to decide whether each voice should be amplified, or silenced. Somehow, in our brave new world of global communication, our collective voice has lost sight of the individual.
Goring 2.0: Orgy-porgy, Ford, and Fun.
If Goring symbolised indulgence to a grotesque extent, today’s “Goring” is no doubt the e-commerce giants, ensuring that we can have anything (and everything) delivered to our doorstep, with a simple click. Apparently, the physical act of shopping wasn’t consumerist enough for us. This overindulgence, disguised as consumer empowerment, has made gluttony our everyday norm. Unbridled consumption, blind to the environmental, and ethical consequences, is the order of the day. Every time the ephemeral joy of one purchase fades, we click again, and something new arrives on our doorstep.
Often, this gluttonous satisfaction isn’t even ours. From reality TV, to the long-dead American dream, we spend our lives watching others live out our ambitions, instead of aspiring to anything for ourselves. We rally around the generic celebrity of our choice, pretending we share things in common, and vicariously living their luxury to distract ourselves from the void that, unsurprisingly, that new iPhone didn’t fill.
Convenience, Complacency, And You: Everybody Is “Happy” Now.
Happiness in our modern era looks like viewing sunsets through Instagram filters, gauging the success of moments by the number of likes we accrue, and measuring our self-worth by virtual pokes, waves, and emojis. And, like all problems, this is only set to worsen with time, as we enter a new world of science, and technology; and cast aside the old world, and all the humanity that came with it.
While Hitler, Goebbels, and Goring were tangible foes, today’s puppeteers are hidden behind shiny screens, fancy code, and complex algorithms. Thankfully, unlike in Hitler’s era, our deaths are metaphorical; we can still come back to life. We can reject the death of genuine human experiences, and rediscover our humanity. Our lives can be more than just beating hearts, and empty breaths. So, as we reflect on the haunting past, it’s essential to draw lessons from the parallels.
TL;DR: Put down the screen from time to time. Touch grass, everybody.