The Netflix show Stranger Things recently debuted its series finale. As one of the more popular shows of the past 5-10 years, it was able to bridge the audience age gap, appealing to both young and old. A healthy mix of nostalgia, horror and modern day revisionist history of what was and wasn’t socially acceptable in the 1980s made the show a must see for almost anyone past their pre-teen years.
What was it about the show that made it so appealing? Outside of the obvious including great acting, a unique story line and movie quality special effects, it also provided a glimpse into who we were prior to the era of cell phones, AI and the internet of things. For the younger generation, they have no idea what that world was like so it was interesting for them to experience it. Anyone over the age of fifty would have lived it and was eager to relive it once more.
Stranger Things also places a spotlight on how much has changed during the course of my lifetime. Change can be hard to accept and even harder to understand. Never would I have thought there would be debates about subjects ranging from gender fluidity to what should be taught in our schools. The very mention of this creates division and strong feelings on one side of the fence or the other.
And yet, change continues to move us forward whether we like it, accept it or bury our head in the sand in an attempt to ignore it. Advancing from a record player, 8 track or tape deck to a CD player is easy enough to digest. Further advancing from a CD player to streaming is also a small leap forward over time. Now that AI is in the picture, those small leaps will become massive leaps into the unknown. Change will be much more rapid and difficult to digest in the near future.
Most of us aren’t comfortable jumping off a bridge or parachuting out of an airplane. There are a percentage of adrenaline junkies out there who love nothing more than to cheat death but most of us aren’t that brave, crazy or perhaps stupid to take that first step. Well, buckle up. Now that AI is in the picture, the choice to live an analog lifestyle will be less likely and perhaps may even hinder our ability to function within society.
Sounds pretty scary doesn’t it? Looking at this purely from a negative perspective, AI and all that comes with it does sound pretty ominous. Obvious correlations between what the future may look like and the Terminator instantly come to mind. The machines are now in charge, we’ve taken a backseat.
Why be afraid of this happening when, in many ways, it already has. Our cars are computers, our phones are computers and we work on computers everyday. The money we make is deposited into a bank so we can use digital cash to buy the things we need or want. Rarely do we handle cash money. Try paying for a coffee using cash and a handful of change. The teenage cashier will look at you with contempt and confusion as they process how to proceed.
Shows like Stranger Things remind us of who we were and how far we’ve come. It’s fun to relive a simpler time where we can remember our formative years with a sense of fondness. It’s also a great opportunity for the youth of today to playfully joke about the “olden days” of home phones, boom boxes and pastel colored everything.
Something tells me AI would’ve replaced the idea of JAMS shorts or Swatch watches based on poor taste if given the chance.
It’s a good thing for us that AI didn’t exist yet, because JAMS were nothing short of glorious.
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