Week 9 - Daily frustrations of a neo-luddite

Daily frustrations of a neo-luddite at university

The girl wakes up early to write up her handwritten work in the University Library and is frustrated that her work must not only be typed up, but also reference relevant websites. She doesn’t have a laptop and finds the process extremely laborious. She had arranged to meet her friends outside the library at 8:50 before their 9 am lecture and waits patiently for five minutes before rushing off alone, later finding out that her friends had texted each other to say they’d be late. When she gets to University, she feels left out when her class mates talk of the great night out they had last night, that they arranged last minute on facebook.

After the lecture, talk turns to music and the new bands that everyone’s into. Her friend mentions a band, famous on the internet site myspace, when everyone starts laughing and singing the lyrics, happy that they have a mutual appreciation for this great new band, the girl once again feels like she’s from another planet to her classmates. Alienated, she goes to the library to get ahead with her work. She’s doing advertising and struggles with the print add she’s supposed to have created on photoshop, and once again asks the IT department for help. She wishes that she didn’t have to use the computer so much and realises her flair for catchy phrases, jingles and slogans won’t make her successful without the technological know-how that came so naturally to her classmates. She sits and quietly resents the new technology encroaching on her life.

Frustrated, she goes to the shops to get something for lunch, and embarrassingly her card is rejected. She realises that her rent has gone out today and sighs as she thinks of the 45 minute walk to the bank across the city to transfer some money. Her friends never seem to have this problem and she wonders how they manage their money without making the long trip. On her way to the bank, she decides to go to the post office to post the letter she has written to her mum telling her of her progress at university. She often speaks to her on the pay phone on the corner of the road as her accommodation does not have a landline, but it’s frustrating not having much time and feels like she hasn’t updated her fully before the pips go.

She goes home to her apartment and sits on her bed trying to read her favourite book, but she can’t seem to get something off her mind. She realises that new technology is surrounding her and feels isolated from her peers, and to some extent, the world. She wishes that the more traditional ways of doing things, shopping, arranging social occasions, talking, working, learning weren’t slowly becoming obsolete around her. She realises that there is nothing that she can do to revive the old ways of doing things and wonders about where the world is going next.