Haven’t you anything better to do? Yes, to be honest.
Firstly with full disclosure I cant say I’m a fan of this blog writing stuff, I mean who’s really interested in my short insights into anything? Lets face it, if you’ve read past the headline and first sentence I’m winning in this less than 6 seconds world of commercial advertising and flick through TikTok posts.
So, here we are. Hmm what to scribble down today. Not that I’m actually scribbling with an implement on paper – oh, god no – imagine that! How old do you think I actually am? She say’s while trying to download a new app thats not bloody working on my android. Yes, I’m half anti Apple too! (lets not get bogged down with that right now and leave it for another rant instead).
Today I’ve decided to write without the aide of any AI, oh the audacity of it all. How antiquated and fuzzy it must seam for an actual human to take the time to write anything themselves these days. Imagine I’m sitting typing every word here with coffee in hand jotting down my actual thoughts on a subject – random as this might be.
I mean what is blog writing today other than dropping a title and a few opinion leads into an AI programme and hoping that what comes out the other end and aligns with what you thought you might like to say on a subject? I do believe in schools these days there are only a few handwriting classes given at nursery level and those are soon to be upgraded to high speed cerebral connections for the kids, fitted as standard before junior school is reached.
Okay, that’s not true. I was merely testing if you were still actually reading this far or if my efforts are simply going to be SEO cannon fodder in order to gain traction to my new sexy website. Either way it’s a win for me really and maybe not so much for you.
Now I’m not going to rant on about a hatred for AI – after all it’s here to stay and it will evolve as programmed and further. It merely makes me smile when the speed of technology is so fast that instead of stopping to ask at the onset if it’s actually going to benefit us? Is it safe? Could we hope to control it in the future? We instead, as passive humans usually just accept it all as progress – until it’s too late.
Recently in the news, we heard that once again we are trying to play catch up on restricting access to harmful online content for the young and vulnerable. Content that is causing hatred, suicides, murders and even wars. It feels all a little too late but necessary, passing laws to prevent harm from apps, trolls, online violence and worse. Lets face it, the genie was let out of the box so long ago now I’m not entirely sure how we could restrain it, if at all.
In the realms of politics and fake news we are often questioning what is verified, real, balanced or impartial when it comes to content. Has that photo been altered? Is that a real person in that advert? Was that world leader really just say that on X or was that all made up, AI generated, auto suggested, algorithm sorted and sent to us on mass just to cause engagement?
At this stage, all I ask for is a little transparency and honesty from companies and individuals and that we be made aware when something is synthetic, enhanced, altered or created digitally. Just tell us it’s not entirely real. Be truthful and up front that the look of something is imaginary, the aesthetic appeal attainable or fiction or that this is a post thats entirely made electronically and it’s not necessarily true or accurate.
After all I think today we are used to sussing out fakery in play, at least I hope we are. I’d like to think that if a company no matter it’s global size and presence had the nuts to say, look the people wearing our brand clothing on our website are avatars. The world would probably respect that they are being up front and that it’s not just a cost cutting exercise but done so with thought and purpose. That would be welcome.
It’s at this point I’d like to ask if you are a Vintage lover. For a long while now the trend for vintage has been growing and often I find myself being dragged to vintage fares by my daughter. Do you share this passion? Yes, it’s true I’ve better crappy, older clothes hanging in my closet than those on their rails and my stuff could rack up some serious coin. However, I don’t think it’s about buying better quality or saving the planet and saying no to fast fashion. I wonder if what I witness of this trend is that it’s a generation grasping at a reality, something tangible to purchase of a past that actually existed and a need to belong to a real world rather than what is so disposable?
And just as I feel the younger generations may be searching for a past to buy into and hold onto? Are the older amongst us desperate to re-ignite memories of old with vinyl, vintage games consoles and cortina’s? Are we too acting in haste to hold on to nostalgia fast fading like polaroids. Hoping to hold onto our timelines as evidence of an existence until eventually one day we are FB legacy erased.
This coming from someone who like the intro of my fav TV show,’What they Do In the Shadows’ has a collection of fast fading polaroids like Nadia in her big hair era. I find it funny that today U just spent over £100 on a polaroid camera and film for my daughter so I can explain how at a celebration in my day this was the only way to get instant images without having to drop in your snaps for processing at a chemist and wait 7-10 days for development. I know right?
So, you tell me? I mean have you actually read this far without looking at notifications that have pinged, popped a filter on a post or skipped the adverts on your TV? Well, if so then we are winning and saving ourselves from mobile phone double chins, (its a thing). Thanks for sticking with me this far and I might just add another post rather than heading to the *gym.
*got ya, don’t believe everything you read not least by an actual human.
