Granny and Tweety | Part 1 | Story of a Different Future

Scene 1: The World
After the digital news bubble burst in 2060, the world rejected the procurement of digital devices for interaction. And, to respect the privacy of every person, online surveillance systems were shut down. Only those who were 60 or older were granted access to digital devices. That enabled a massive change in the information landscape. The trust of internet systems dropped dramatically, and all the information storage changed to physical logging. But, the people from the 20th and early 21st century were so used to receiving information digitally, that they continued to trust online sources. That led to a reverse generation gap in the society, with the old people having more access to digital than the young.

This is a story of Tweety and her grandmother, Granny who are living in this post-digital world.

Scene 2: Tweety’s Room
It’s Friday night, and Tweety is getting ready to go out on a blind date. She turned 18 last week and is excited to meet someone she found on the LoveList magazine.
 
Scene 3: Granny’s Room
Granny is sitting on her rocking chair, scrolling through the news feed on her phone. “A child kidnapped from a California public school. AI can now detect the difference between a puppy and a cookie….” She continues to scroll as she updates herself on what’s happening around the world. “So much crime in this world,” she says. “220k people liked this post. Children should be more careful when they are outside.”
 
Scene 4: Tweety’s Room
Granny puts her glasses down and walks up to Tweety’s room. “O my pretty little girl. You look gorgeous in this dress. Where are you heading?”
“Thanks, Granny! Today is my first blind date. I’m so excited to go out. I hope that he is the one. Fingers crossed.”.
“That’s great, my child. Be careful as you go out. I was just reading this news about a child who was kidnapped from school.”
“O, Granny! Don’t worry. The world is safer now. The digital information is not trustworthy.”
 
Scene 5: Living Room
Tweety is about to leave, and Granny walks with her. “When would you be back?”, asks Granny.
“Around midnight.”
“That’s very late. What if something happens to you? You don’t understand this world as much as I do. I see several hate crimes happening every day. You’re 18 now, and I want you to be more critical about the world.”
“I understand, Granny. But you cannot trust everything you read online.”
“But these devices provide access to an exhaustive information set. Look! There are so many posts about kidnapping, rape and child abuse.”, Granny shows her news feed to Tweety.
Tweety leans over to look at Granny’s phone. “See, Granny. Boingboing.com wrote this article. Is that even a thing? How can you trust that? It is good to have different perspectives, but you should check the sources of that information. The world has rejected digital devices for the same reason.”
Tweety continues talking. “I understand that you want me to be ready when I receive access to digital devices, but I don’t think access to multiple information sources is the right way to see the news. It can confuse us.”
 
Scene 6: Driveway
Granny walks Tweety to her car. “My smart child, I see what you mean. Perhaps, we need to have a more vigilant approach towards the information we receive. Complete access to information has populated our lives with several unnecessary details that prevent us from focusing on the important aspects. I’ll use my devices properly and would make sure that you do it too when you reach 60.”
Tweety smiles and enters the car. “That’s right, Granny. I’ll be more careful about my date, and you be more critical about the news you read online. See you!”
Tweety waves goodbye to Granny.

~ End of Part 1 ~

Read Part 2 of the story