Define: Technomerican

So. Technomerican. What do I mean by this term? Well, as I see it, we (you, me, and anyone reading this) are part of a uniquely modern community. We Technomericans communicate with each other without reservation across thousands of miles, discussing our thoughts and feelings about the various concerns we have for society, and then work together in an open an democratic dialouge to arrive at solutions. We share a fundamental bond with each and every person we interact with through the internet. Never before in history have so many people from so many varied backgrounds been able communicate on such a meaningful level. On here, we are all the same. We are not hindered by social stigmas (ie. racism, classism, ageism, regionalism, sexism, or any other type of -ism) and we are free to express ourselves without reservation. We almost lead two lives as Americans today, one in the physical relm, and one in the electronic. We have become a new type of citizen, a Technomerican. Technomericans came into existence because of their close relationship with the growth of the internet and the progressively declining cost of personal computers. Many of us on this site are born into the Generation Y. This group of people, born between 1979 and 1994, has come of age parallel to communicative technologies and have developed a sort of inate understanding of how to use them and how we will be able to use them as they continue to develop. We almost have the ability to see into the future in this sense. By embracing our identities as Technomericans, we will be able to begin effecting social change faster and more efficiently than ever before, in a much more widespread and diverse manner than ever before. Gone are the days when a small group of people would begin a grassroots movement in one particular area and try to make it grow. This method is time consuming, inefficient, only expresses the views of one particular community, and often leads to cynical responses and political disregard. In our new America, a nation of Technomericans, grassroots movements are able to exist everywhere, expressing the thoughts and feelings of an entire country, working together for one common cause. This new type of movement will still be met with some cynicism, yes, but as the movement grows and our message is made clear, more and more people will begin to see our cause as a viable means to effect change in their lives, and in the lives of others. As this new type of movement gains acceptance, we will become unable to be ignored by politicians and we will see change happen within our life times. We must unite together or we will fail, just like the countless other social movements that have come before us.

And I cannot stress this enough. Violence will never produce real change in our government. Every time violence is incorporated into revolution, people will be maimed. Be it our oppressors, which may give a superficial feeling of accomplishment, but is guaranteed to be followed by harsh and malevolent violent responses. People do not want to live in fear. People to not want to have to worry that they will be mistaken for a violent revolutionary and killed by a militant government. This would not be change. This would be the replacement of one fear for another.

If we truly want to effect change, we must do so peacefully and democratically. And, because we are Technomericans, we have the tools to do so. We must show the world what is possible, a better society where fear is minimized and prosperity flourishes. We can write blogs describing how we are taking action and effect it is having on those around us. We can take pictures and post them online of our random acts of kindness and our volunteer work. We can write songs and poems describing the world we see around us and the world we wish to see and then share them effortlessly online. We can make films of our actions and post them online for the world to see and discuss. In this way, we will be able to show the world that we mean business, and that it really isn't that hard to make change in our lives, and that by following our lead they too can make a better world. We have an immensely powerful tool at our disposal, and if we wield it with a righteous hand, together we will rise.