The free caged birds
When I was a child, we read about the fifth generation computers in our class. Our teacher told us that these new computers will be more powerful and better than the ones before. It always fascinates me to know what a new computer can do, and I’m sure this fascination is shared by most people around the world who want to explore the limits of this technological age in which we are living.
People say that machines would control the world one day. I thought it was not possible. We created these machines, so how can they rule us? I have seen all these Hollywood films with robots fighting and cars turning into monsters. I wondered if this is how machines are supposed to control us. One day, an experiment in a lab somewhere in America would go wrong and suddenly machines would gain power over us. These thoughts remained stuck in my head for a long time. I even devised plans to save myself from some ‘transformers’.
Recently, I found myself sans my phone; its battery conked out as there was no electricity. Suddenly, all those stories in my head about machines and robotic attacks became unrealistic. It is these tiny glowing screens of mobile phones, TV, Laptops, PCs, Ipods, Ipads, and every other gadget that we use daily that have taken over our lives. These hypnotising screens with never ending applications and features have become indispensable. You cannot step out of your house without one of these. Heck, you cannot even go to the loo without the little master of yours.
Master, yes, that is what these things are now. We don’t see it as we are the free caged bird. Ever heard about it? You cage the bird first to show it what captivity looks like. Then you give it a bowl of water, some food, and hang a swing in its cage to show it that it’s now free. Free but in a cage. This freedom in a cage is what these screens have done to us.
Ever observed the catch phrases of the ads of mobile phones and laptops? ‘Connecting People’, ‘Exploring possibilities’, ‘Think Different’, ‘It’s not a phone, it’s Galaxy’. All these fancy words with a picture of a great looking device and new features make you believe you need it.
Living in a country like Pakistan, I’ve come to realise how these machines have changed our thinking. If your gadget isn’t working, you lose your head. If your gadget is working, you lose your friends. They have started to reflect who you are and what your social and financial status is. The more expensive the master, the more respectable you are. If you own an old Nokia phone, you’re a grandpa. If you own a phone of a local company, you’re just acceptable. Wait, there’s a branded phone in your hand? You must be a very educated, rich and respectable person.
‘Aren’t you on Snapchat?’, ‘OMG, you have to install Instagram’, ‘Dude, how come you don’t have a Facebook account?’. Today you have to be a part of the Slavers’ community to exist in this world. All your social media accounts define who you are as a person. Everything is recorded, everything is observed. You don’t have an account? You don’t exist. You can choose your own master and keep upgrading it till your death, but you can never escape it.
So, I guess, machines have taken over the world after all. Just like that bird in the cage who thinks it’s lucky to have everything but doesn’t really knows that it can fly.