In the Steven Connor text (or talk?) entitled ”Bags”, he proclaims that if you were to arrive on this earth from another planet, the thing that would strike you most about humans would be our need to carry things around with us, preferably in some sort of bag. He arguments well for his case, but seen as there aren’t really any aliens around to ask, the idea that carrying-aroundness is our species most striking feature remains nothing more than an idea. Nevertheless, the thought of arriving on earth for the first time and objectively observing human beings behavioral patterns, can help create quite an interesting scenario.
In Moby’s music video for “In This World”, we are presented to a group of cute little aliens who have done their research and come to earth armed with hello-signs in different languages. Despite this, getting the earthlings attention seems like a mission impossible for the tiny creatures. They experience first-hand how inattentive we are to our surroundings. We walk around in our own little spaces, which, with the increase in mobile phones and portable music devices (ipods etc) have not only become significantly smaller, but more private as well. It seems like the ring-tones and headsets have become our best and most adequate excuse to avoid other people. Or maybe it is the other way around. Have people become so afraid of being alone that they need constant audio-visual stimuli in order to survive? Or maybe its just quietness we’re afraid of. Whatever the reason for our technology addiction is, I’m sure it can be explained along the lines of other mental and physical addictions. An explanation I will leave to those who find pleasure in such things. My point is, that if you as an alien (from outer space or not…) enter a western urban scene, you will probably find these small electronic thingies to be the human species most striking feature. Everywhere you turn, you will see people interacting with their gadget of choice. And if it was the aliens first encounter with this type of scene, s/he might even be confused as to what controls what.
It’s not unfamiliar to anyone that our mobile phones in particular affect the way we move, talk, write and relate to our surroundings in general. Just imagine how bewildered you feel when trying to do your grocery shopping while talking to your mom on the phone. Also, one can say that we have grown so attached and dependant to our nokias, motorolas, creatives, ipods etc. that they might even be considered an additional (though removable) body part. Thus, we have become cyborgs. Connor says in “Bags” that “We are not homo erectus, or homo sapiens, but homo ferens.” I’ll borrow his logic and say that: We are not homo erectus, or homo sapiens, but cyborgs. Because just as much as electronic devices have entered our organic world, we have also entered their synthetic realm.
Related links:
Moby, "In This World", music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nas51x3ZQCg
"The Urban etiquette Handbook" - Where you can and can't answer the phone/ listen to your ipod: http://nymag.com/guides/etiquette/17332/index4.html
