Digital Freudology

Has man always wanted the new, new thing? If that man is me, the answer is undoubtedly yes! If there is only one thing you ever learn about me it’s that I’m a Tech Whore, who has an often unhealthy love affair with the latest and greatest tech gadgets. Some see Tech Whores as shallow, morally vacant individuals, pathetic seekers of self-completion relying on things to make them whole. I however see myself as perfectly normal, just as any sick and twisted mentally unstable person does.

We all have “a little crazy” in us. I just happen to be crazy about tech gadgets. There are people who are at times always looking for something new. But there are also people who are afraid of new things. They are called techno-phobs. They find new things destabilizing and therefore reject them. I’ve come to the realization that there are two types of people in this world…those that crave new technology (me) and those that fear it (my father).

Ever since Freud, psychologists have been telling us that somehow our relationship with stuff is false because it's a displaced desire for human connection. Detachment plus familial alienation equals the transference of affection from people onto objects. What that says basically is that all of our love of things is some kind of pathology, and from an anthropological point of view, I think that's just crazy. If there's anything that distinguishes our species over the last four million years it is that we are object users. We're tool users. We love stuff. Humans are into possession. Chimpanzees, not so much.

Although, there have been civilizations in history where people seemed relatively happy with stability. The ancient Mayans knew about wheels, but didn't feel any need to invent wagons. Today, if there were no economic innovation, can you imagine what would happen? I guess that would be the end of the modern economy. Maybe the Amish are not really “behind the times” like we all think. Maybe the Amish are actually light years ahead! Could their lifestyle give us a glimpse of our own future? Could it be true that in 2010 I will not be spending my free time playing virtual videogames, but rather churning butter?

Ok, this post got a little out of control at the end and I’m not even sure where I’m going with this anymore. But if I could somehow relate this all back to my penis, then my Digital Freudology post would be complete.