In this compelling video, Renny Gleeson discusses how with the rise in mobile technologies, there is a concomitant rise in the expectation that people will be available at all times — a “culture of availability.” I wonder what this means for youth, in particular. What do youth do in class, for instance, when they are expected to be available to their friends, while at the same time, “available” for learning. There is a tension in expectations. His second point is even more fascinating when he discusses our need for shared narratives and how mobile technologies can run counter to the sharing of our lives face-to-face. He summarizes this nicely when he states, “Our reality now is less interesting than the story we are going to tell about it later.” Now, I love a good story, and I often share them with people after the fact, but what does it mean when stories are only compelling if told, if mediated, if transmitted, rather than lived and shared with those who are part of the stories? Moreover, there is a fundamental shift in not only how we tell the stories but also to whom we tell them. What happens, for instance, when rather than calling up your best friend to tell her the latest outrageous event in your life, you post it as a Facebook status line for your 200+ FB friends? Is this story really shared? And, even if it is shared, in a way at least, is it a different story?
How about this concept my friend? Humans tell their stories in advance and then try to live up to it. So of course the present is not nearly as interesting as the future story about how we failed or succeeded in the past. And, I believe, humans naturally look behind rather than ahead, since they have survived the past and future survival is not nearly as certain.