Towering Malevolence

On November 5th, 2018 a conspiracy health blog reported a story of a mysterious mass mortality event of starlings in the Huijgenspark of the Hague. The birds had begun to drop dead by the hundreds and according to this report, it was in connection to the expansion of the 5G network around the city. As you might expect, the story was shown to be mostly untrue. At the time there were no tests of the new towers going on close to the park. A test had taken place earlier that year in the Hague, although it was not immediately followed by any similar incidents. The event itself did happen throughout the fall of 2018 and up towards 337 starlings were found dead around the park. The cause is yet to be determined. However, mass die-offs are, unfortunately, not that uncommon. The causes remain largely unknown, but poisoning is perhaps the most likely answer to these strange events. Although it is highly unlikely that 5G is the perpetrator, this story managed to awaken an unease in a lot of people. Animals dying in mass without any apparent reason certainly evokes some form of apocalyptic feeling, especially when the animals in question fall out of the sky. And after all, a starling is not much larger than an average household cat. This, if something, should be a reason for concern for all of us!

The most obvious proof of the falsity of this story is of course that both us and our cats are alive and seemingly not under the influence of dangerous amounts of electromagnetic radiation at this moment. In 2018, 5G was still in a largely experimental stage. Two years later, a mast is seen on almost every block in my city. This has, so far, not led to any mass mortality events that are worth reporting about. However, the defining event of the first half of 2020 was something eerily similar. The advent of the virus rekindled the online debate about the safety of 5G. The apocalypse was now well on its way it seemed, it had started with the birds and now it came for humans. To some people, there was a clear common denominator and stories began to spread of rising numbers of COVID-19 cases which coincided with the building of 5G towers. This culminated in 77 cases of arson throughout the UK. Perhaps the fear these people feel towards 5G is unfounded. Even if they were to be right, the burning of cell phone towers is a terrible method for convincing people. But perhaps there is also a possibility of something deeper in their message, a rejection of modernity. Is there perhaps a case against these towers that we have not yet considered?

It is certainly a hard case to advocate for. Especially considering the innumerable miracles of medicine and technology that science has provided us with. Because of them, we now live longer and more comfortably than ever before. Food and work are for the most part abundant. Diseases that were considered a death sentence have become mere annoyances. We have access to an information-entertainment network that spans the whole world and includes all the information that has ever been gathered by humanity, and we carry it in our back pockets. And yet, there seems to be something missing. Some vital aspect that seems to stop us from feeling completely fulfilled. Those familiar with Mazlow's hierarchy of needs might recognise this as an age in which the first three steps are guaranteed to those who live in the West. Our physiological needs as well as our need for security and belongingness is for the most part satisfied. However, we now lack a clear path towards self-actualization. While a farmer in the 1800s might have found himself actualized through his work. By providing a home and a shelter for his family and simultaneously acting according to the will of his God, he could sense the importance of his existence. This has been taken away from us in modern society. It has been decided upon that God is dead and that we are completely free to make our own decisions. It is a form of spiritual or cultural malaise that seems to permeate all of Western society. A lack of purpose that has led many into severe mental illness or addiction.

Here we see how technology, despite its many wonders can also lead to our detriment. The ease at which entertainment or pornographic material can be acquired on the Internet has prompted large amounts of young men to spend hours behind the screen. A whole generation has become docile, harmless and vain. Their bodies flabby and weak, their minds dull and machinist. The loss of purpose has led to a constant chase after dopamine which ultimately achieves nothing. The time spent on social media and in video games is stolen away from that which could have been much more productive. It has led to a hugely inflated porn industry, whose true victims we begin to see now, not only in those who use it but also those who work in it. Furthermore, it has led to the increased monopolization and censorship of social media by large companies such as Facebook and Google. Despite the many issues, it is not a problem that is often discussed and in many cases, the resistance is often only a sham. In a way, all of us are addicted. The phone is probably the last thing you see before you go to bed and the first thing you see when you wake up. It is always there and most of us don't even want to leave this place. Those addicted to electronic entertainment are both literally and symbolically slaves to this machine.

It is also true that this nexus of entertainment and information contains almost all of the human knowledge and is, therefore, one of the most valuable things we have at this time. I see a few problems with this. First of all, the Internet seems to contain at least an equal amount of misinformation. It can be hard to tell the truth from fantasy, which is what leads to stories of birds getting killed by 5G towers. Online media also tends to be heavily biased and mostly stick to the truth only if it benefits their ideology. When these companies have so much power that they become considered some form of arbiter of truth, it begins to be hard to distinguish fantasy from reality. The second problem is that the amazing abilities of the Internet have made us, in large part, fully dependent on it. Much like all forms of technology, it is at first only a convenience. Much like electricity at first, was reserved only for certain people who could afford it. A sideshow attraction and an oddity, it quickly became so important to humans that we cannot even picture modern civilization without it. In this case, the Internet began as a place to store and share information with others, sometimes with people on the other side of the world. However, could you today imagine a scenario in which the Internet disappears for one day? Could you imagine the number of deaths?

media more. Maybe we should try to become less and not more dependent on the Internet. Maybe humans need to go out and commune with nature. Maybe we need to see each other's actual faces. We were doing completely fine with 4G and so why would we need to be even faster? This is the semi-Faustical evil circle that technology presents us with. It creates solutions which then lead to more problems, going back would require you to lose the comfort that you just gained, so instead you create new technology to alleviate the new problem. This will eventually lead to new problems which will require even newer solutions. Are you feeling depressed because you lack a sense of purpose and therefore spend all your time online instead of going outside? Consume this product that gives you dopamine by awakening a sense of nostalgia. If that doesn't work you can always take this pill which forces you to feel good.

The answer to our problems lies somewhere else than the 'forward' of technological progress. It lies in a rediscovery of our purpose as individuals and society. Are we truly here only to hedonistically chase after pleasant sensations? Surely, other things must matter more to us. I do not wish to fully discredit technology, as I wrote earlier it has greatly contributed to human life. It is not the technology itself that is evil. It is us. We need to learn to master ourselves, how to live according to truth and how to be good before we continue making technological progress. Until this is done, the evil circle of technology will continue to exist. If we cannot do this, then our hearts will remain empty holes, waiting to be filled with chemicals. Our relationship with the technology we create and how we use it will remain irresponsible and we will be true slaves to it.

This is the best argument I could muster for this side. Of course, it runs the risk of getting lumped together with those from the anti-5G community, thus becoming the subject of ridicule. It is not based on empirically verifiable evidence or statistics. All such numbers will point towards the undeniable usefulness of technology in battling the many ills of the human condition. What I have provided are observations which I gladly challenge you to disprove. There is also no clear path to follow on how we ought to make this change within ourselves. It might even be too late and we will now be forced to watch as this evil circle plays itself out. However, if we do decide to go back. Then the best way to do so is not to just get rid of all technology. It begins with getting rid of the pointless gadgets that don't contribute anything at all. It also requires us to cut down on our comforts and start controlling our passions. A break from all dopamine boosters, whether they be pornography or video games could be useful. If you have not done so yet, I highly suggest trying dopamine fasting. For one day you do not look at any kind of screen. No social media or reading on the Internet. For a genuine dopamine fasting experience, refrain from reading books or working out as well. Just sit in your room and write! What we ought NOT to do is to burn down towers. It is pointless as they will get rebuilt within days or weeks and will often only cause people to have disdain for the movement. Instead, we should encourage a healthier lifestyle and that we legally and safely dismantle them.

Composed by,

Luke Litvinov, Undergraduate of Philosophy at West Virginia University