Once upon a time… humans used to speak directly to one another, make eye contact, and touch. Children used to play outside, climbing trees and jumping rope…. But in the last few short decades, a profound shift has occurred, when, like the young girl in the classic fable of The Red Shoes, we traded our handmade shoes (self-governed existence) for the perceived ease and convenience offered by the glittering red shoes of technology-leading us into the throes of addiction, physical and mental degeneration and enslavement. Trapped in our metaphorical red shoes we are dancing with the devil, out of control and towards our early, painful deaths.
Using the Red Shoes allegorical tale as backdrop to the author’s deep dive into our current state of unconscious and unfettered tech use, investigative journalist Shannon Rowan weaves the many interrelated threads of the myriad ways in which the internet and our internet-connected mobile tech seduces, harms and ultimately sucks the life out of we, the many users; from social media, to gaming, to email and texting, online shopping, porn, news, entertainment… all of these threads make up the many tangled strands of the Web in which humanity finds itself currently trapped, the inter-Net, World Wide Web, with virtual and augmented reality on the near horizon, set to even more dramatically alter our world and societies, perception of reality and perhaps even reality itself …
Blending personal stories, poetry, psychology, science and philosophy, this is a book you will not want to miss. It is not just for the more obviously entranced and addicted among us, but for everyone. It is time we collectively take a giant step back, start making conscious choices about our technology use, and remove the red shoes before it is too late-and Rowan provides invaluable insights into just how we can do this.
Truth + Reckoning Podcast with Shannon Rowan
CELDF spoke with Shannon Rowan during our Truth + Reckoning podcast, who critiques the role of modern technology in society and how it impacts us and the world in terms of health, social well-being, and extractivism. In this thought-provoking episode, we sat down with journalist, author, and activist Shannon Rowan. Shannon, who describes herself as a “Wi-Fi refugee,” delves into the profound impacts of technology on our lives and the environment. We explore her latest book, “The Red Shoes: Our Devil’s Dance with Technology and How We Can Stop It,” which uses the metaphor of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale to discuss the addictive nature of modern technology. Join us as we discuss the intersection of technology, nature, and human connection, and how we can reclaim our sovereignty in a tech-dominated world.
