Christina
I am a medical doctor working in public health, a medical informaticist and a writer. I am interested in how the digital world influences our functioning and well-being as humans.
Session
Some of you will remember the android Roy Batty's famous monologue at the end of "Bladerunner" (1982):
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain."
Seconds before his death, he is asking us to imagine the richness of memories and experiences that will be lost forever after an individual ceases to exist. Facts and events can be recorded for those that come after us (as text, photos, videos and in other media), but only in an incomplete and rudimentary way.
However, it seems that today we are so preoccupied with the preservation of our experiences (e.g. by posting them on social media) that we have less time and attention to actually live these experiences.
Are we at risk of living second-hand and third-hand lives? 20 or 30 years from now, when we look back, will we remember living and experiencing our own lives, or just the time spent scrolling through other people's lives and imaginations?
Drawing on over a decade of professional experience as a medical doctor, as a technology consultant and as a writer, I want to discuss with you the ways in which the digital, virtual, always-online world harms our ability to have real-life experiences. Please contribute your own opinions and experiences and let’s find ways to live digital AND real lives.