People Are People + Bots Are Bots

Waxing Nostalgic + What's On My Mind

Woke up from a dream about growing up in the 1980s to find YouTube playing one of my favorite music videos from the 1980s: “What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy)” by Information Society…from 1988.

While I regularly fall asleep with YouTube playing, I never watch music videos on that account. My “TV” account is for news, podcasts, and talking head videos. Not Talking Heads videos. Soothing voices-only (not “Voices Carrie”) content I can sleep through.

So YouTube’s Al/Algorithm must be onto my game. And might know me too well.

Once I woke up and realized the music was real, I turned off the TV and started researching a new montage of vintage photos for YouTube.

What was one of the first things I ran across? This AMAZING video of Depeche Mode performing another one of my 80s favorites: “People Are People”

PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE (1984)
By Depeche Mode

People are people, so why should it be?
You and I should get along so awfully
People are people, so why should it be?
You and I should get along so awfully

So, we're different colors and we're different creeds
And different people have different needs
It's obvious you hate me, though, I've done nothing wrong
I've never even met you, so, what could I have done?

I can't understand
What makes a man
Hate another man
Help me understand…

In my opinion, both songs remain as catchy and relevant today as they were when first released 35+ years ago. I can still remember buying the 12” single version of the first. And had a 45 of the second. I think that was a birthday gift from my “cool” aunt.

Where is this post going? Not where I thought it would. And nowhere fast.
So let’s time warp this mfer, shall we?

I originally planned to write about how our very human ability and need to categorize things has, in my opinion, become a circle jerk of catchphrases, jargon and labels.

Emphasis on the circles and the jerks.

We live in a society where conformity seems to reign supreme.
All those unspoken rules. All those predefined boxes.
Don’t color outside the lines. Or else.

From our careers to our hobbies to our social media bios, we're expected to adhere to the norms set by those around us.

After various failed attempts to “fit in” during my adolescence, I decided back in high school peer pressure was dumb. And has only gotten dumber since.

Unlike 1980s music, the Conform-Or-Else Gospel has aged like milk. Cheese but no cheese. Okay, maybe the really stinky stuff.

Sadly, the categorize-and-conform crowd is way older than any of us. Way older than even “the greatest story ever told.” Sorry (not sorry), Sister Christians didn’t invent this mess. But they do a good job keeping the fire and brimstone going. Like good little followers. Completely mindless and pointless.

Mindless because we collectively celebrate those who do their own thing, those who ignore or refuse to play the game. Pointless because we all just want to be loved and seen…for being true ourselves.

People are people…and most of us are kind of dumb.

The truth is human experience is not a one-size-fits-all affair. We are complex beings with multifaceted identities. Categories and labels can be conversation starters. But are more often used to end or replace conversation.

While most of society seems to prefer simplistic labels, many of us outliers are doing the same things to ourselves. Often in a subconscious attempt to find community, fit in, or just not be bullied.

In spite of (and maybe partly because of) good-faith attempts by non-discrimination policies everywhere, we're constantly pressured to fit into predetermined categories.

While we support DE&I efforts, we’re all far more than the sum of our “race, color, national origin, age, disability, religion, or sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity).” We the people are human. For better and for worse.

In our quest for individuality, we find ourselves fighting against labels at every turn. And then fighting about labels. Oy.

Just when we thought other people were frustrating, we’re faced with a real-life phantom menace: automated bots.

These algorithms, designed to categorize information and streamline processes, are literally made to put us all in boxes. It’s why I have several YouTube accounts.

From targeted advertising to social media algorithms, these bots analyze our behavior and attempt to fit us into neatly-defined demographics. They reduce us to data points, stripping away the complexity of our humanity in favor of statistical predictability.

But we’re not statistics. We are more than the sum of our online behavior or consumer preferences. We are living, breathing individuals with unique hopes, dreams, and aspirations. And just as we resist the labels imposed upon us by society, so too must we resist the labels imposed upon us by technology.

How do we reclaim our autonomy in a world run by so many damn bots?

1. We start by embracing the messiness of human existence.

2. We reject the notion that our identities can be neatly summarized by algorithms and instead celebrate the complexity and diversity of who we are.

3. We refuse to be confined by the limitations of binary categorization and instead revel in the fluidity of our identities.

But perhaps most importantly, we must remember that true innovation lies in the spaces beyond the lines. It's in the moments of creative chaos, where ideas collide and boundaries blur, that we find the spark of inspiration.

Embrace the challenge of coloring outside the lines; of defying gravity and labels; and reclaiming our humanity in a world obsessed with conformity.

After all, it's in our differences that our greatest strengths lie.

Thank you for reading…
Clint

P.S. For full disclosure, this post was written with the help of a bot. Great for idea starters. They can be great tools, but don’t let it do the heavy-lifting (or thinking) for you. People are people. Bots are bots.

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