The Atomized Empire

If we stare into the abyss of technology, what do we see?

If the internet were a life form, what would it be? It would look like a massive octopus, with its tentacles tightly wrapped around every part of the developed world. Not only would it latch onto the physical world, but our souls and intellect as well. In the span of 16 years since the iPhone was first released, billions of people now keep a rectangular object with 24/7 access to the internet on their person at all times. A new apex predator has risen from these digital "innovations", who's primary energy source is human-interaction. Through the accessibility of the internet and the addictive nature of algorithms, this predator has completely colonized our minds and disrupted our behaviors in a disturbingly short timespan. While the internet and technology have offered some great advancements for our species, these are merely carrots the Atomized Empire has used to lure us into what could be our own destruction.

The Atomized Empire is the metaphorical empire that technology has created in our very minds. It represents the enslavement of the human race to the internet, algorithms and other technologies which embed themselves in our brain, heavily influencing behavior and health. These social technologies are ironically leading us to live more "atomized", disconnected lives. While we have not completely succumbed to this empire, it is a massive force distorting human culture in subtle ways which are becoming more flagrant. How could we have possibly been enslaved while not even realizing it?

Technology has conquered modern civilization in a method similar to the Trojan Horse tale from Greek mythology. In this story, the Greeks and Trojans were engaged in a seemingly unending war, and the Greeks were unable to penetrate the walls of Troy. As a solution to this predicament, Odysseus, a Greek hero known for his intelligence, had an idea to construct an enormous wooden horse as a ploy against the Trojans. 

The horse was hollow on the inside, allowing for a select few warriors, including Odysseus to be concealed inside. The rest of the Greek army feigned a loss, retreating from the battlefield and leaving the horse. One Trojan who was a priest warned his fellow men of the horse, thinking rightfully that it was a tool of deceit. The Trojans foolishly chose to not heed his advice.

As day turned to night, the Trojans began celebrating their victory as no Greek warriors were in sight. In the cover of darkness, the warriors snuck out of the horse and opened the gates of Troy. The rest of the Greek army which had pretended to abandon the war returned and stormed the unsuspecting city. As a result, the Trojans were not prepared to defend themselves, and the city was violently subdued to the Greeks. The Trojans in their own confidence and ignorance were unaware of the very threat right at their front doorstep. 

The internet and its various instruments used to obtain human attention through addictive algorithms, socialization and hedonism, represent a similar type of Trojan Horse. We've welcomed all types of technology right into our pockets and homes, all while they silently monitor our behavior and collect massive amounts of data used to manipulate us. The subtle masters of the world no longer need to physically conquer populations to force them to do their bidding, they do so through psychological warfare, which the internet is perfect for. These apps seem innocent enough on the surface, and even have many upsides. However, the internet and the various apps we interact with through it represent the ultimate deceit, where we have been swindled by algorithms that take advantage of our psychology, while getting nothing in return but cheap dopamine hits, mental health problems and a quickly degrading culture.

Among these stark shifts in culture is the atomization of the individual. Around 60% of young men are single. We have the lowest fertility rate in over 80 years. People have more acquaintances than in the past, but less close friends. Four times as many people today report having no friends, as compared to the 90's. Gen Z, the first generation to grow up online, is the most lonely and depressed generation the world has ever seen. More time is spent alone than ever in the West. We are increasingly consumed by our jobs and distanced from our families, both physically and ideologically. The atomization of society began before the internet, but it has given birth to a new breed of human, one that is unknowingly being conquered by the Atomized Empire. This new era of human is forged through an infinite abyss of virtual reflections of themselves.

At the heart of these virtual reflections are algorithms, luring us in by mimicking the things we already like and believe. Is the internet not the equivalent of an automated friend? Project human-like qualities onto the internet and apps for a moment.. Are algorithms not designed to maximize engagement? Why do we watch YouTube or TikTok so much? Modern, algorithmic feed apps are a reflection of ourselves. We go onto our home page, and we're bombarded with content that's mostly aligned with our beliefs, our values, our worldviews and our political views. When we interact with an algorithm that caters content to us, we're actually interacting with an aggregate of data based on past versions of ourselves. Through the mass amount of data big companies have gathered through our search and watch history, they know us better than we know ourselves, and the effects are emerging through worldwide trends toward loneliness, nihilism and isolation.

Studies show that excessive internet usage is linked with feelings of isolation and loneliness. Correlation is not causation, but due to the addictive nature of feed-based algorithms, the internet can clearly exacerbate these feelings. With highly individualized feeds, we delve deeper and deeper into esoteric topics of interest, which further lead us down obscure rabbit holes that people in our real life have never heard of or care about. Each app slowly builds a large silo of data based on our behavior, which it intends to exploit as much as possible, drawing our eyes and minds ever closer to screens and away from reality.

Logically, this would make the content we interact with on the internet far more interesting to us than the average person. Technology is designed to be far more addicting since it is uniquely catered to our hedonistic desires. Now that we've become accustomed to having content specially catered to our psychology, we feel more detached from the world because other people are not directly catered to us. This manifests as a higher threshold for what is considered a fulfilling interaction in real life. This higher threshold has likely made us more picky and narcissistic in social interactions. Unfortunately, this leads to a downward spiral, where we collapse on our own identities, becoming more rigid and detached from our fellow humans. Online, we are constantly bombarded with mirrors, but in the real world, they are shattered. No human being is a mirror or algorithm, strictly feeding us confirmations of our deepest beliefs, but rather a complex mind reflecting back only small parts of ourselves. We spend more time than ever in a one way conversation with a "robot", and wonder why our social skills and friend groups have degenerated.

Authentic human beings are not mirrors, but vast oceans to be sailed. Rather than happening easily, it takes effort to connect with another mind on a deeper level. We interact with algorithms on a daily basis with no resistance whatsoever, and find normal communication more challenging, boring even. Many of us unconsciously take out our phones the second we feel boredom hit. Tech companies love this, but for human interaction, it can be like an invisible barrier to conversation that goes beyond the surface level. Interacting with algorithms is a cheap dopamine hit that fulfills surface level, selfish desires, whereas true human connection resonates deep into the body, satiating a part of ourselves that no piece of technology ever will.

If we do not wake up to the manipulative nature of our technology and devices, human society will continue to deteriorate while also providing us more addictive, more isolative technology to fill the increasingly deeper voids in our souls carved by loneliness. The iPhone was among the first Trojan Horses to penetrate the minds of entire generations, radiating an alluring gravitational force from our pockets. Constantly are we drawn to the screens we carry in our pockets, to what effect? The internet and phones enable us to need others less and less to solve more and more problems, which sounds great, until you realize we are a social species. Individualism sells us the lie that we do not need anyone else, and that aligns perfectly with Big Tech's goal of further automating away the need to even interact with other humans in real life.

The name of the game in technology is automation, and humans are slowly being replaced by technology. We already live in a dystopian future where we interact with robots and computers more than we interact with our fellow man, but what's troubling is that not having to deal with a human seems to be celebrated now. Staring at screens and interacting with "robot friends" has made us less patient and empathetic with others. We're in a deteriorating cycle where the internet is causing more social anxiety and mental health issues, which then leads us to avoid dealing with other humans when possible, which is also bolstered by the capitalistic drive for efficiency.. The nutrient-drained soil of our minds is ripe for a dystopian science fiction novel to become the reality.

Individualism could not have been conceived as our own dystopian casket in the past, but it seems to be the very trait of the West which is creating a higher susceptibility to this epidemic. While it is responsible for much of what makes the West great and distinct, it's allowed us to welcome the Atomized Empire into our lives without suspicion. Now, the grasp over our psyche is so strong and entrenched, it resembles a grotesque creature which is latched onto humanity like a leech, consuming the most valuable resource we as humans could ever possibly have, our TIME.

Every other addiction or vice receives paramount attention in our culture, but why doesn't tech addiction? You can't go into a casino, a bar, or look at a carton of cigarettes without seeing addiction call-lines and legal disclaimers. A recent trend among the youth is the complete avoidance of alcohol, because it's bad for your health, but not a word is uttered about the Trojan Horse in the room. When are we going to start labeling technology as addictive and destructive? It seems that business interests have coalesced in a way to avoid speaking of the grasp this new empire has over society. Perhaps it's because technology exploits resources which we have lost the true value of -- TIME and FRIENDSHIP.

Alcohol, cigarettes, drugs and gambling all have plenty of addiction hotlines and groups like Alcohol Anonymous dedicated to overcoming their vice, but we do not see this for addictive video games, apps and websites. Just because an addiction doesn't lead you into a stupor, financial ruin, or death, does not mean it's not equally harmful. Tech addiction is more sinister because it goes unnoticed, operating subtly over long periods of time. It can cause the same ailments that other addictions can, but through means of isolation and loneliness. A variety of health issues are associated with isolation, namely depression and anxiety. These health issues have become rampant in society, yet experts are surprised. They are too indoctrinated to suggest that something our entire society is now built upon and conquered by is to blame. "It's not technology, it's capitalism!" Or better yet, "it's a chemical imbalance!"

What would a society that wasn't addicted to technology be like? Would we randomly pop up at our friends and family's houses again? Would we value friendship again? Would we value our own time again? Would we ward off modern ailments such as depression, loneliness and nihilism? Would we build strong families again? Would we start paying more attention to the people who ARE already there in our lives? Would we be more present in our interactions, or in our day to day life? Would we stop wasting our time scrolling through the endless, consumerist abyss? Would we be more empathetic and less politicized? Would we be less concerned with what we can consume, and more concerned with what we can create? Would we care less about our lives, and more about our legacy? Would we be able to stare into the eyes of this Atomized Empire and see it for what it is, a soulless fungus that's feasting on our time, our well-being, and our futures?

In just two generations, the Atomized Empire has colonized our mind and body, hollowing out local communities. The highest ideal in this empire is the Self, which is constantly reinforced through hedonistic algorithms on the internet feeding us exactly what we want. Blindly and happily did we continue to adopt new technologies, without ever asking what impact it would actually have on society. Perhaps we could not have known, but the writing is now on the wall. 

While we do not need to reject technology as a whole, as individuals we must reevaluate our relationship with the technology we use every day, what impact it may be having on our lives, and why we are using it to begin with. Although Big Tech is not solely to blame for the modern ailments both physical and spiritual we face, they keep us occupied enough to where we are half-way content, docile and pacified. We are not fighting a war with our hands, but a war over our own MINDS. The turning point has been reached, and on the way back, we must reclaim our mind, our body, our time, and most importantly, our souls, from the virtual tyrants who have enslaved the globe through addictive, useless technologies.