Lately, I’m afraid that we’ve become a society of apologists. Have you noticed? Everybody is apologizing all the time. And not one of them means it. Rarely does anybody take responsibility for their beliefs, which are often exactly what was exposed — their racism, mysogony, whatever.
Even more rare are these apologies as entertaining as the one that happened this past week, when the Governor of Delaware accidentally Tweeted a photo of a woman wearing bondage paraphernalia. More of those would make the world at least a funnier place.
It’s not just that I’m error prone that makes me wary. Anybody who knows me knows that I’m not big on social media. Nope, not at all. And it’s not only because I can’t be bothered to figure out how to use it. I have a Facebook account that I started so that I could vote for Speaker7 for some contest she was in. Naturally, I couldn’t vote anyway for some reason. I have one “friend” on Facebook.
When I first started my blog, I joined LinkedIn, thinking I could promote my blog. But then I had to enter real live info about myself like my name. Since it is being used as a professional networking society, the dangers of using LinkedIn to promote my blog became clear. Including a link to my blog would possibly attract a lot of people who would read my blog, but they would all be clients. Clients reading that I am a “fake” medical professional. And then, naturally, I would need to use LinkedIn to find a new job.
I’m sure I’d like Twitter — I love making short, snappy comebacks. But a Twitter account would likewise end up with me needing to use LinkedIn to find a job because I’d never get any work done.
So I’ve been happy with face-to-face talking, emailing and texting. And blogging of course, which is a realm all of its own.
But I just read an article that has me shaking at my keyboard. Worried about where this will all end up. Afraid of the future. Because they’re going to get into my brain. It’s just a matter of time before we can all transmit our thoughts to each other without the aid of a computer or a phone or even a mouth.
Yes, I just read Brain-to-brain verbal communication in humans achieved for the first time.
Oh joy.
It informed me that scientists have just managed to transmit thoughts from one brain to another, across the distance of 5,000 miles. Brain to Brain. Non-verbal, um verbal communication.
Can you imagine the future? What politicians will say now? The excuses they will come up with for when they express a true thought or opinion and the recipient doesn’t like it? Oh Lord. It won’t be pretty.
I think it’s going to be something like this:
It’s closer than you think.
FiftyFourandAHalf 
I don’t want anybody in my brain! It’s bad enough I’m in there! Hahahahahaha!
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I wish I’d said that!!!
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There are so many ways for communication to get muddled and twisted now when we actually use verbal words with each other. I can’t imagine how fubared we’ll be if we start sending thought messages. Every single message will have to be prefaced with “I’m sorry…”! 😉
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I signed up for Facebook because my kids made me do it because they said I’d never build an audience as a blogger. All I do is promote my blog on it. I refuse to kibitz or check other people’s FB. I piss off a lot of people because I don’t care about their crap. I tried LinkedIn like you. Hated it and disconnected it. Stopped at Twitter. Refuse to do Twitter because I know I need a “pause” button before I react to something online, because the devil would truly make me say some of the things that would get me in trouble. 🙂 I don’t ever want to be in a place where my mind can be read. Talk about an invasion of privacy.
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Wouldn’t it be terrible? I’m a very nice person with a humorous/mean stuff I might think but would never say streak (consider that phrase to be hyphenated, please).
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Hey there … as I try to get back into a routine … No Tweets for me, although I’ve considered using it to get information – but haven’t … well … not yet. I have a Facebook account, but I never got into it, so I seldom check it. Then again, gotta love that Flip Wilson routine.
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Good to see you Frank. Hope you’re doing well.
I loved Flip as a kid. And it still seems as funny as it did then!
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That would be truly terrible. Humans would kill each other even more often than they do now if we could all read minds. Yikes.
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Exactly. And they’d probably deserve it more, too.
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I don’t think we’re too far from the day when learning will be effortless, because acquiring knowledge will be a matter of downloading information directly to our brains. Maybe we’ll also be able to intentionally delete stuff we no longer need to know. Then, when politicians say, “I have no recollection of that,” we’ll have to believe them.
Thank you for the Flip Wilson video. He was great.
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Wouldn’t it be great if we could digitally erase ignorance? Somehow I doubt it, though, sadly. We will simply fill our head with celebrities and weird food combos. History, literature, philosophy? I fear they won’t get any RAM space. (Is there still RAM?)
I loved Flip Wilson, too. Funny man.
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I’ve always said that if the filter between my brain and my mouth breaks, I’ll wind up in a lot of trouble. If someone can actually “hear” my thoughts, I’m going to have to spend a lot of time at home by myself.
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It’ll be a very lonely world, I fear, Paprika!
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I read the article, and the scientists actually send the information from one person to another over the internet (converted a word into binary code, which sender converted to binary movements, which was recorded as EEG, sent over internet, and “played” for the sender. So for 99.9% people and for next 20 years at least, it would be much less practical than sending and reading an e-mail, for example.
Of course, this isn’t going to stop politicians from using “Devil made me do it” excuse.
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You may be surprised to know that I read it too. ;). But I think that, like the Star Trek communicators that turned into our smartphones, this experiment will end up sending us down the slippery slope towards non-verbal communication (without so much as a Vulcan mind meld).
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This post was all over the place… it seemed like something I would do… so… uh… good job… HA!
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I’m not sure that was the effect I was going for … and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t keep up with your thoughts if I could read them!
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No insult intended…
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!!!! I wasn’t. Just gotta needle you
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I need to be needled…
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Most people are content with needing to be needed. It’s nice that you stand out in the crowd!
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Being tall helps with that
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Oh No, I can’t imagine. This though is why I have a pen name and why I don’t use my full name anywhere on social media. LinkedIn is the one place I am fully exposed, nowhere else. I am not linked to any of my blogs or my social media sites through linkedin and I promise you no one could find me through there.
But mind to mind, I would never work again.
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It would truly be terrible. I’m lucky enough to like and respect the people I work with, and my clients are mostly terrific. But there are always times when you’re sitting in a meeting thinking “this guy/woman is a total asshole and doesn’t know what he/she is talking about.” If they could hear my thoughts, ummmmmmm…
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It is closer than we think. I’m sure of it.
It’s been a long time since I saw a Flip Wilson clip. His stuff still makes me laugh. Of course that could be the devil making me laugh.
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Noooo. I don’t want it closer or at all!
And I’m sure it was the devil making you do that
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I’m pretty sure my mind would blow up if anyone half-rational got intrinsically near it. Also, I think it would tickle, and I am very ticklish.
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I’m sure the scientists didn’t ‘t even consider the tickle factor.
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They never do. Sigh…
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Scary. My head would be filled with music and I’d retreat into my head.
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I’d much rather listen into someone’s music than their thoughts,I think!
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Haha, love that bit about LinkedIn. Too too true!
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I can never be found out …. Clients would learn Waaaaay too much!
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I’m certain you can read my mind, my friend.
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Yes. And I’m telling your mother what’s in there!
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Flip Wilson. My brother and I will sometimes still break out into “Don’t you touch me! Don’t you ever touch me! You don’t know me!”
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I always think of Flip when I hear one of these non-apologies. He was hilarious.
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What else is there to do do improve man’s luxury but to think and speak mentally with each other. This way we can save our breath and energy.
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Yup. Pretty soon we won’t need to breathe on our own.
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Oy, enough stupidity flows from people’s mouths. I have no desire to know their thoughts.
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Exactly! And it would be unfiltered!
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That’s what scares me.
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I just started tweeting. Some other people have 200,000 followers, but I am catching up. I have 7.
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Seven is a very lucky number, you know.
I wonder if you have to worry about robot followers on Twitter.
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I could use a few robot followers.
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Elyse – great post. And I enjoyed the nutty Flip Wilson video. I have a feeling this here “Now They’ve Gone Too Far” post may end up in a Ram On blog post.
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Glad you liked it, Bruce. But What’s Ram On?
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http://brucekthiesen.wordpress.com/
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Oops! I read it, just didn’t remember the name…
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Oh my … if people knew what I was thinking all the time, they would lock me up and throw away the key. Either that, or they would wet themselves.
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It is scary to think of the consequences of this technology! I mean, the toilet paper industry will be finished!
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Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. Ha!
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Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
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We don’t need this in Australia. Our prime minister twitches a bit when he lies. I’m surprised he hasn’t had coaching to stop this.
You really don’t want to know what I’m thinking. Unless I can turn it into a parody account, like twitter.
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I don’t want to know what anybody is thinking, actually. Can you imagine business meetings and parties with everybody being unable to play nice?
It would make a hilarious movie, though.
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That’s both fascinating and terrifying. Think of the implications. I think I’ll stick with text messaging and emails. Now get out of my head, Elyse. I assure you; it will bore you to death.
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That’s just what I was thinking? And you know all those folks who claim to talk with God — how will they know it’s him?
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Exactly. It could be anyone.
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