Mette Lisby: Is it just me…
… who’s worried about how it affects us that everything is constantly available, accessible and possible?
You can transfer money between your bank accounts NOW. Book travel NOW. Shop for anything – like, oh I don’t know, NOW!
When Freddie Mercury sang “I want it all and I want it now”, it was a bold demand that evidently could not be realised. In today’s world, it sounds like a relatively reasonable request. Of course you want it all now. How could you not?
Just yesterday over dinner, my husband and I were talking about getting new trainers, and two minutes after we finished eating, we had bought them. I never really liked shopping, so I guess I should be all for the time-saving online option – but I guess my reluctance is probably more about the fact that not only shopping, but also pretty much anything else can be done anytime, online. Making doctor’s appointments, dentist appointments, paying bills – even relaxing, you do with your computer or phone now. No need to browse through a real magazine, paper or book – it is all accessible in your computer. You do not even have to get up to fetch it.
I have always been a big advocate for getting away from the computer once in a while, but now it seems completely unnecessary to not be in front of a screen, not just for work but in every aspect of your life. Watching news, planning travels, communicating with friends, shopping for shoes, bras, kitchenware, groceries… There is never a reason to be offline anymore – you can do it all there.
You need to make an active decision to NOT sit in front of your computer, because when you are there, there are emails to check, bills to pay, there is LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram – there is always something. And why wait when you can do it now?
Except I think that ‘now’ becomes less significant when it is completely the same all the time and only the image on the screen in front of you changes. Maybe it is time to realise that perhaps we do want it all, but actually, most of it can wait a little while, while we take a walk in the sunshine.
BY METTE LISBY
Mette Lisby is Denmark’s leading female comedian. She invites you to laugh along with her monthly humour columns. Since her stand-up debut in 1992, Mette has hosted the Danish version of Have I Got News For You and Room 101
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