If the end of the twentieth century can be characterized by futurism, the twenty-first can be defined by presentism.
Interpretation
The quote highlights a shift in focus from future-oriented thinking to an emphasis on the present moment.
Douglas Rushkoff's quote suggests a significant cultural transition from the futurism that characterized the end of the twentieth century, which often focused on technological advancements and aspirations for what is to come, to presentism in the twenty-first century, where the emphasis is placed on living in the moment and acknowledging current experiences. This reflects a broader social understanding of time and existence, where people increasingly value immediate experiences rather than distant dreams.
In practice
In a discussion on mindfulness and mental health, this quote could be used to emphasize the importance of being present.
Like most early enthusiasts, I always thought the way the Internet encouraged multitasking made users less vulnerable to manipulation, while simultaneously exploiting even more of our brain's capacity than before. Apparently not.
The faux now of Twitter updates and things pinging at you - all the pulses from digitality that we try to keep up with because we sense that there's something going on that we need to tap into - are artifacts, or symptoms of living in this atemporal reality. And it's not any worse than living in the 'time is money' reality that we're leaving.
Treating an age group as a demographic requires coming up with something that's common to every single one of them. Right?... So it's reductionist in that it reduces an entire segment of civilization down to one person with one habit.
Brains are tricky and adaptable organs. For all the 'neuroplasticity' allowing our brains to reconfigure themselves to the biases of our computers, we are just as neuroplastic in our ability to eventually recover and adapt.
As popular culture becomes more presentist, we move away from entertainment as the vicarious experience of a narrative - as watching someone else's story - and much more toward enacting one's own story. Moving away from myths and toward fantasy role-playing games, away from movies and toward videogames.
The first step toward maintaining autonomy in any programmed environment is to be aware that there's programming going on. It's as simple as understanding the commercials are there to help sell things. And that TV shows are there to sell commercials, and so on.
Morality and values depend on the existence of conscious minds - and specifically on the fact that such minds can experience various forms of well-being and suffering in this universe.
I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day.
I court not the votes of the fickle mob.
The last function of reason is to recognize that there are an infinity of things which surpass it.
What you do not wish upon yourself, extend not to others.
Tis not what man Does which exalts him, but what man Would do!
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.