A Digital Life...

Life as we know it is now online. There is almost nothing that can’t be done online, apart from physically transporting ourselves from place to place and eating. If this could happen, many people would have no reason to even step out of their houses.

And the world, as it stands today, keeps giving us more and more reasons not to step outside. Things that used to be a big deal back in the day, things that people actually prepared for and planned months ahead, have been turned into a simple tap on the screen. I believe this has to be one of the worst things developments have brought to humanity.

At one time, shopping wasn’t just about buying things, it was a trip. Especially for the ladies. It was planned well in advance and properly executed. You went there with the amount you were willing to spend, did some window shopping, and actual shopping. And then, by the time you go home, you’re happy about having a good day. But what is it now? Online shopping destroyed that culture, and it made it easier. It’s even worse now because it’s way more addictive, and you can end up spending way more money than you want to.

Should I talk about how restaurants are now going digital? With many customers choosing to place orders instead? The thing is, these orders don’t come free. If you eat at the restaurant, you only pay for the food and the service. But when you order, you pay for the food, the service, the plates, the nylon used to wrap it, and the delivery fee. If the spirit leads, you could also tip the deliveryman. So, while eating at a restaurant might cost you 15k, you could end up paying 20k+ for online orders. Yeah, that extra might have been used on transport, that’s what you might say. But I don’t believe that one bit. If you have to spend such an amount of money on transport just for a regular meal, then something is wrong.

I think the most painful one is actually in movies. Slowly but surely, the cinema culture is under attack. Streaming has taken over! As one of Netflix’s top execs once said, their plan is to make people stay at home more. They want you to stay at home and watch movies and shows. No more romantic dates at the movies, or something to unwind and relax, with other people of like minds. They just want you always in your house.

For a remote worker like me, there are periods where I get tired of my own home because I’ve spent so much time indoors, and I just want to relax somewhere. A trip to the restaurant or the cinema, or even a park, always works well, especially in the evening. But these guys are trying to stop it. It’s happening right before us, dating apps are now online, and places of worship are now digital. Some churches can only be streamed because they don’t have an actual building that can accommodate members. And for many, streaming a service is the same as actually attending it. It doesn’t matter that you’re cleaning your house and doing house chores while streaming the service.

As far as I’m concerned, all this is happening because they want us to be fully dependent on them. Because all this means that if for anything the world loses access to the internet, we’re screwed. The other day, Cloudflare was down, and businesses all over the world felt it. If something of a much grander scale happened, does it mean that we won’t be able to eat, watch films, worship, or meet new people?

Everything that we used as a means of socialization is slowly being taken from us, and we’re being forced to stay indoors. Because, as it stands, everything that used to belong exclusively outside can now be done inside as well.

This is the sad reality of life in 2026.