Kathriona Devereux: Tech giants want us to stay in and scroll: get out and connect
With just two sleeps to go, I hope you are truly all set for Christmas.
If you’ve made it through December’s office parties, nativity plays, Santa visits, shopping expeditions, family functions, and gridlocked traffic without losing your cool (or shedding a tear in the car), you’re doing well. It can be exhausting being merry and bright.
And then, once the turkey is cooked, the presents opened and St Stephen’s Day rolls in, the temptation is obvious - draw the curtains, open the selection boxes, and meld to the couch until January.
But here’s my Christmas reminder - this season is not only for rest and recharge. It’s also for connection.
Not Wi-Fi passwords and Bluetooth pairings - real, in-person conversation, stories, laughs. The kind you can’t stream.
Earlier in the year, one of the streaming companies ran an ad campaign asking, “Why go out?” The three words sound benign, but they have a sinister subtext.
They discourage social interaction. The implication is there is no need to leave the house when there are thousands of hours of content to entertain you.
Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon, Disney and Paramount are eager to convince us that “staying in is the new going out”. No, it’s not!
Food delivery companies are in on the act too. They can deliver your breakfast, lunch and dinner if you so wish. One of JustEat’s slogans is “Why not snack while you scroll?”
Indeed, have some mindless eating to accompany your mindless doomscrolling.
In Dublin, Deliveroo has drones to bring you coffee. God forbid you’d put on your coat, walk to your local café, exchange a salute with neighbours en route, have a friendly chat with the café owner, hear some news about your community, and leave caffeinated and restored by human interaction.
Much better to get an irritating and intrusive drone drop a cappuccino on the patio.
The more time we spend at home, the more we stream, scroll, and order - the more big transnational companies profit.
Staying in feels easy and safe, but it’s quietly reshaping how we live.
The food delivery business in Ireland is worth €2.2 billion annually. The majority of this is restaurant revenue but the food delivery apps have a tasty turnover.
Last year, JustEat’s revenue in Ireland was more than €71 million. Deliveroo made more than €58 million.
The real reply to the “Why go out?” question is… to feel connected to my friends and community. To be stimulated and entertained without a screen. To appreciate the culture and humour and people of our beautiful city.
Swaying in sync with strangers at a joyful and inspiring live music gig does not compare to an evening of mindlessly scrolling Instagram.
A windswept, bracing walk with friends and family in a verdant natural beauty spot is more beneficial for the mind and body than unlimited screen time.
I regularly baulk at the notion of leaving my comfortable home to head out into the cold and rain to meet up with friends or go to an event.
If you are humming and hawing about whether to go out - just go. The motto in our house is “if in doubt, go out”.
It’s like exercising. The notion of dragging your tired body out for a run or to a gym class is hard, but 99% of the time it is worth it. Same for socialising.
Social contact boosts mental health, lowers stress, strengthens empathy and improves physical health too.
You might be connected to 20 old school friends on a WhatsApp group, but digital connection is no substitute for real presence. Meeting friends, joining community events, or even chatting with strangers keeps civic life alive.
And us Irish are good at small talk. It’s our unofficial national hobby.
I met an old friend from Dublin recently whose opening greeting was “I was in Cork last weekend…what a city!”
This is a woman who lives in the thick of Dublin 1 and she gushed about The Oval, The Mutton Lane, the English Market, the Marina Market, the walkability of the streets, and the friendliness of the natives.
She’d had two cocktails so I took some of the compliments as a dose of Christmas plamásing, but of course she’s right. All those establishments are world class and we can go out and enjoy them whenever we want.
Of course, not everyone thinks Christmas is “the most wonderful time of the year” for lots of varied and worthy reasons.
I’m not for a minute suggesting a packed Christmas schedule of rushing hither and thither to meet people. I’m all for slowing down over the holidays - doing a bit of baking, playing board games, reading the book you’re excited to start.
But, this Christmas, go out and connect.
Meet the friends you keep meaning to see. Watch live music. Leave the house for no reason except that life happens there.
I hope, dear reader, you have a happy, safe and connected Christmas this year. Nollaig Shona!
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