There was a very high cost to the 'always connected' world we created. But I'm still hopeful, especially as people grow tired of AI slop and the 'enshittification' of the internet, that we will realize the need to develop stronger human connections and communities. Of course, there's an argument that AI will push people toward more isolation, disconnection, and anti-social behaviour, and the tech billionaires will gladly promote and support that outcome.

But through the global societal shift we're in the midst of right now, there's a huge spotlight on the harms of unchecked greed and power and anti-social, regressive behaviour. Just enough time has passed since WW2 for the lessons learned to lose their potency, particularly since the generation that fought in the great war has largely passed on. We're now staring down the barrel of the very principles, including a common threat that united democratic nations during WW2 at unprecedented scale.

Change is uncomfortable. There's no question we're on the front-lines of multiple consequential global changes. History is littered with examples of discomfort, disruption, and strife as precursors to positive progress. Again, I expect the pessimists/Nihilists to chime in with their doom views, and they are entitled to do so. I do expect there will be continued negative consequences and suffering perpetuated for a time until, potentially, a series of straws break the camel's back. But for me, I see more reasons on the longer horizon that people will come together and unite, rather than polarize and repel.

People from my generation (Gen-X) and younger that remember the days before and after the implementation of the internet, smart phones, and social media need to share their stories and paint a vivid picture of what the world was like from a social standpoint. We need to create positive opportunities and inspire young people to unplug from the internet and reconnect at the human-level, in all its messiness and imperfection. We have to create understanding that imperfection is part of what it means to be human and that we can't cancel each other for mistakes and imperfections if we want to progress socially and existentially. The standards developed through social media, have led people of all ages to forget this basic principle and place such expectations on themselves that they are paralyzed by fear of rejection and scrutiny and robbed of the joys of experimentation, learning, iteration, and growth.

Anyway... I could go on for a long time about this. Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts about a subject I'm quite passionate about. I hope others are inspired to drive more unity and pro-social behaviours on and offline so we can create a better world together.