"Below are 40 journal entries on the current state of public discourse.
"Like the captain said in 'Cool Hand Luke', what we have here is (mostly) a failure to communicate.
"But we’re now failing to communicate in totally new ways.
"1. All digital communication is reverting back to primitive ways. The emoji is like the hieroglyphic. The meme is akin to the cave painting. The text message is a throwback to the telegraph.
"So it’s no surprise that people are scrolling on their phones. I can almost hear the rustle of the papyrus.
"2.Why do I see all these homemade videos of people talking into the camera while sitting alone in their cars?
"They’re not even driving—just standing still. They’re literally going nowhere.
"Is an empty automobile the new town square? ...
"3. Alexander Graham Bell would be shocked. The phone is now a device you use to speak into the void. You talk to nobody at all.
"But we still keep talking.
"4. The most popular social media platforms will be those that allow people to avoid responsibility for what they say.
"Every society has institutions of this sort. In ancient times, it was the bacchanalia. For us it is online shitposting and the burner account.
"5. Consider the etymology of the word ‘dictator’—from the Latin dictare (which translates as ‘to say often’). It thus designates a person who talks obsessively—repeating the same thing over and over.
"It’s curious that dictators aren’t defined by their deeds, merely their monotonous talk. The assertion of power through repetitive speaking eliminates the needs for listening, or (at an extreme) even for action."
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