THE MODERN DAY SUPERHEROES
A year before Google began, in 1995, I had moved to America. I had never seen a computer or worked on one. I typed my first story in 6 weeks: it was 1.5 pages long and it took me all 6 weeks just to type it; not just to think of it. The first game I ever played on a computer was Prince of Persia. And the first time I used Google was in 10th grade for a history project. And now you are looking at me and going “Seriously Tanu, 10th grade?” Yes, 10th grade. And then there was Google…and I, nor the world, was ever the same.
Google was a well of knowledge that only increased my thirst instead of quenched it. Then, in 2004, came Facebook, and I was once again stunned by a phenomenon where I could actually MAKE friends before even meeting them so college was not so foreign before I got there. And lastly, came Apple. And it drove up everything. It changed everything. Consumerism, competition, ideas, techonology, gadgets, apps, smartphones, music distribution, movie distribution, reading books,…and the world went wild. There was nothing Apple didn’t affect or improve. And of course, none of it would have been possible if a smart little guy didn’t invent a PC which a turtle-necked man didn’t think he could improve.
I am not a technology person. I in fact know nothing about technology or software or the engineering world in general. But what I do know is that with the advent of the internet, we have found our way into a world of thinkers and dreamers. Today’s Carnegies and Rockefellers are Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page & Sergey Brin, Bill Gates, and of course, Steve Jobs. In fact, they are not only the leading thought moguls of this world, but are a modern-person’s superhero. As the Apple commercial so aptly says, “Here’s to the Crazy Ones.”
When people say these techonology Gods are pushing the human race forward, they couldn’t more right. Not only because most people can use their phones to pretty much replace 3-4 gadgets, but because the iPhone can be found in ANY part of the world. Because everyone has Facebook and because no one is limited from Google (unless, you know, your government is kinda strict about you becoming more knowledgeable about the world).
Music, knowledge, communication, identity- its all for free now. It’s available for us because these people decided, hey, the world DESERVES to be run more efficiently. The common person deserves to be able to do more. To learn more. To create more. To socialize more. To create apps and incorporate them in your world so technology and its uses and ideas can keep growing in a never-ending ripple effect.
So here’s a toast to today’s nerds. For not being money driven but vision driven. For changing industrial and commercial layouts so much that you begin to BELIEVE that a product will not rip you off. That there is a corporation like Apple or Google or Facebook that is actually there for YOUR use. For listening to the consumer. For helping us realize turtlenecks and casual-Ts and terrible fashion can only help but lead to things like online shopping because even if you didn’t understand fashion, you knew we did and we needed it. And for showing the average man for what it means to stay hungry and stay foolish. To the people who not only had a vision, but it was such a clear vision that we could all see and share in it. Because it was a vision to make the world better, faster, smaller, and less divided.
A toast to the nerds. And the king of them all, Steve Jobs. Thanks for inspiring by thoughts, actions, and beliefs and for once again making this world into a more merit-driven environment.
prettynthink 