Nathaniel Hawthorne accidentally warned us about the internet back in 1843 | Peter Goers

Dancing, comic books, television and even novels were supposed to corrupt and distract us to our ruin. But this time it’s actually happening, writes Peter Goers.

A scammer rang me the other day and said, “I have all your passwords.” “Good”, I replied. “Let me get a pen and paper and you can tell me what they are.”

I’m in password crisis.

I just can’t think of another password nor remember the ones I have. My passwords never match as required. I don’t want another bloody app. Enough already.

I despair of my online life yet I can’t function without it. None of us can truly unsubscribe until the next world and is the next world on “the cloud”? BTW WTF is “the cloud”?

Many years ago I was driving home at night past the Norwood Hotel and saw four young people sitting at a table ignoring each other and looking at their phones.

I despaired of that and now I’m worse. We all are.

We live online. We are constantly distracted by devices. A friend of mine insists on travelling with two laptops and a smart phone. A black spot causes panic. FOMO (fear of missing out) rules our lives.

We are deranged if we can’t immediately see what someone we don’t even like has posted on Facebook – generally a picture of what they are about to eat.

Instant communication, instant information, instant shopping have led to instant gratification. We live on phones which are actually anything but phones because no one want to talk to you anymore.

They want texts or emails. Businesses want you online on an app.

We are becoming zombies.

The digital erodes conversation and contemplation. We have too much information and no time to think.

We all used to know a lot about a little, now we know a little about a lot.

Even those of my generation who lived happy and fulfilled lives before the digital revolution can’t imagine or even remember what life was like then.

Telephones were immobile, had rotary dials and not everyone had a telephone. No one ever rang you after 9pm. Mail was efficient and ubiquitous and posties delivered twice daily. Anything really urgent – generally either very good news or very bad news – was sent by telegram.

We took film to the chemist to be delivered and waited a week to see how pics turned out. And we didn’t miss out on anything.

There have always been technological distractions since the invention of the wheel.

A writer warned of the arrival of a technology so powerful that those born after it will lose the capacity for mature conversation and people will seek separate corners rather than commit spaces.

That was Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1843 warning against the replacement of the open fireplace by the iron stove.

Dancing, comic books, television and even the novel were supposed to corrupt and distract to the point of social dislocation but the digital is the greatest distraction our species has ever faced.

It has changed us completely but not irrevocably.

The ban on phones in schools is showing great results and kids are suddenly more socialised. The ban on the use of social media for those under 16 is tricky but highly necessary and will reduce cyber bullying and encourage social development.

The youth mental health crisis is one of the biggest problem we face. The internet is the Magic Pudding. There’s always more of it.

We should all have a regular digital detox.

I’m so looking forward to a forthcoming stay in a black spot on Yorke Peninsula. Temu will miss me.

I can talk to people while looking at them and not looking at the thing in the palm of my hand. I can forget about “the cloud” and hope a real cloud brings rain.

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