technology vs the nostalgia trap
I wrote this in response to a post on a friend's page - sharing it here so I can keep track of it.
The post showed a picture of some kids walking their bikes down a neighborhood road, and asked, "aren't you thankful that your childhood happened before technology took over?"
Well... in some ways, yes; in others, no.
When I was growing up, there were still places where the bullies couldn't get you: at home (if you were lucky); in your bedroom; in the library; in church or in nature... in other words, there were still ~safe spaces~. Cyberbullying did away with all that: these days, wherever you can take your phone, they can get to you (and get inside your head).
On the other hand, pre-teen me would have ADORED the internet: a magical landscape full of ready-made fan-friends who loved "nerdy" things just like I did (and crucially, where the social awkwardness of being autistic wasn't the humongous roadblock to building friendships that it was and is in real life). The support of fandom friends that I found in later life would have made younger me feel one hell of a lot less isolated and lonely... not to mention making my imprisonment in the cultural wasteland of my Bible-belt hometown a little more bearable.
(Seriously, I don't think ANY of us remember just how bad "midwest culture" was for young people before the internet. When I was in high school, your options for cultural enlightenment were pretty much getting drunk at parties, getting drunk at bars, or getting drunk and going cruising.)
tl;dr - For the most part, I find it wise to be a little wary of nostalgic generalizations. Everything our species invents always comes with good and bad qualities: they're just tools. We get to choose how we use them.
