CULTURE CLASH (Express Yourself)
GALVESTON
VS.
TECH BY ROBERT DEAN 12
SO, HERE IS THE THING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY – IT IS AWESOME FOR SOME THINGS, AND A GIGANTIC PAIN IN THE ASS FOR OTHERS. When we think about what technology means for someplace like Galveston, we must ask ourselves, does the island want to be connected with a wallet tap on every register? A few might say yes, but take it from me, living in a tech wonderland has its downsides, too. I live in Austin. Tech drives everything here. I know when a band is playing six months out. I also know what’s happening in the world of music, comedy, and entertainment that day, down to the hour. I see what hotspots are opening or shutting down. I have my choice of food and booze delivery service 24/7. My phone never stops going. I get notifications from news organizations about the day’s scandals, what deals the local taqueria is peddling for happy hour, and even what version of hell traffic on I-35 currently looks like. Our coffee shops are littered with people writing code, planning their start-up, or yapping over lattes about their new
“mixed media company”. Whatever that means. We have every form of social media. You can use seven different versions of a dating app to meet someone, despite the emotional and psychological toll these dating apps can take on many users. Fun fact- Bumble was founded here, in Austin. Cash is something the service industry uses primarily to tip other bartenders. For everyone else, most people trade currency by Venmo, PayPal, CashApp, or use their plastic. Paper money is an abstract concept. Our skyline is dominated by the world’s most prominent players: Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Oracle, and that is just what is downtown. IBM, Apple, Samsung, Instagram, and everyone you love (who secretly collects all your data) is here, too. Do not think it is a foreign concept that some start-ups could move to the island and change everything. No really, just Google it (pun intended). It can happen anywhere. Before you know it, some nerd will be trying to sell you on his service to streamline yard cutting, and that is how the whole chaotic party starts.
C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • N OV/ D EC 2 0 2 1
