My Wi-Fi and Me (And Others)

The day has come when it's starting to be important for me to draw distinctions between my life with and without my Wi-fi apparatus. 

I use it so much it's become an almost necessary appendage of my brain.

I almost always use it for important purposes, though some purposes are definitely more valuable than others. Doing FaceTime with my children and my grandsons is undoubtably the ultimate good use. Of course there is a double edge sword: for me the elder one, my face reveals to the younger ones all the indications of aging. My younger grandson once asked, "But Nana, why do you have so very many wrinkles?" I told him they are my badges from living and that everyone who lives long will be lucky enough to have them. And so I share my face online, but after we share our faces, my smart device allows me to show my surroundings.

My device can do anything! That is anything that has to do with any kind of knowledge, 2D and 3D maps, numbers, programming, and it takes and shows images and images and images. Images of the opulent and ones of babies dying from hunger. It shows images of the animal world, of nature and cities anywhere in the world and photos of outer space.

It cannot offer solutions to human problems though, at least not yet. It can't see, touch, feel, smell or hear like humans. It can't jump, laugh, wish or hope. It doesn't yet appear to have one of the things that really makes humankind shine: imagination! And it cannot feel shame, trust, delight, violence, grief, love or hate. It's not at all human. It's a machine with vast storehouses of knowledge, entertainment and information.

And yet! I hold it close, reading and writing letters to friends, texting those who prefer short notes; I listen to my favorite music on it, all kinds of solo instruments and full orchestras. I hear classical, jazz, blues, and hillbilly, too. I read articles from several magazines such as the "Atlantic Monthly" and the "American Scholar." I listen to TED talks.

And then there is the most addictive of all: political news. These days that's a killer; I'm left waiting, waiting, waiting for news to unravel my dread. I have instant connection to a dozen newspapers and I flip through them. When I tire I go to "Nature" or the "National Geographic" and watch my favorite: wild animals in their kingdoms. They seem so wise, so lacking in the sophisticated complications that render humans too inept. 

My life would not be complete without my wi-fi. There's no going back. But, I have an all human segment of life. I have friends to talk with, to touch, to share feelings, to do things together that require physical movement. We exchange ideas and appreciation. It is extremely important for me to have contact everyday with people in the flesh in order to be content.

Update: 
I have been thinking recently of writing an article on WiFi and I. I'd forgotten I'd written about it several years ago, in 2017.

Helen Rivas Rose
2024