Outside The Box

It was a week of rebellion. My smartphone was banished to the shop, forgotten in the car, deprived of its charging station, and left unattended. The revolt began when I noticed the weight of a certain cardboard box on a shelf, the one which contains several pounds of old cell phones.

Tinkerers will understand the reason for that box. One old phone controls my Chinese-manufactured drone without sharing our life story with the PLA. One functions as a music box. One subs for the TV remote when it hides between the sofa cushions.

Still, this is quite a collection for someone who has warily stalked the fringes of digital dependence like a stray dog drawn to the light of a campfire and the smell of burnt hot dogs. I’m confident that Tracey and I do not approach the 2,555 hours per year of digital exposure endured by the average American (and that number is higher for younger generations). Nevertheless, there is a lot of time, not to mention a lot of money represented in that box.

We are what we did, and we become what we do. Not only that, our descendants become what we did. Epigenetic changes are like turning switches on or off in your DNA. They involve chemical modifications that affect gene activity and expression. Imagine genes as light bulbs. Epigenetic changes can dim, brighten, or completely turn off certain bulbs without rewiring the house. These modifications can be influenced by various factors such as stress, diet, and environmental exposures, and some of these changes can be passed down to future generations.

In the brave new world of epigenetics, scientists have unveiled the intricate ballet of chemical modifications that regulate gene expression. It’s a bit like updating software without changing the hardware. Environmental factors, lifestyle choices, and yes, even our cherished digital habits, can flip these epigenetic switches, leaving lasting imprints on our genetic legacy. And oh, what a legacy we’re leaving!

Let’s start with the glamorous blue light that emanates from our beloved screens. While it paints our faces in an ethereal glow during those late-night Netflix binges, it’s also disrupting our circadian rhythms, leading to sleep disturbances. Epigenetic changes influenced by sleep patterns are linked to metabolic functions, stress responses, and even cognitive abilities. So, while we scroll through endless feeds and respond to ceaseless notifications, our epigenetic makeup is diligently recording our sleep-deprived exploits, ensuring our progeny inherit a propensity for insomnia and the accompanying brain fog. Sweet dreams, future generations!

Stress, our ever-present companion, has found a new ally in our digital devices. The constant influx of notifications, social media comparisons, and digital multitasking has left us all on edge. Adding to this are the marketing of fear and anger, as well as the divisive influence of manufactured consent. This chronic digital stress can alter our DNA methylation patterns, potentially leading to anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. Imagine our descendants navigating the world with an inherited predisposition for anxiety, a consequence of our relentless pursuit of digital validation. A legacy of digital age anxiety – now that is a hashtag-worthy inheritance!

But wait, there’s more! Our sedentary screen-bound lifestyles are replete with opportunities for epigenetic mischief. Lack of physical activity can lead to changes in histone modifications, influencing genes related to obesity, cardiovascular health, and even longevity. So, while we enjoy our binge-watching marathons and endless gaming sessions, our genes are busy memorializing these sedentary habits. Our descendants may find themselves grappling with metabolic disorders and health challenges, all while wondering why great-great-grandma couldn’t just put down the remote.

Now, let’s talk about cognitive functions. Our digital dependence has us flitting between apps, tabs, and screens with the attention span of a goldfish. This constant digital bombardment can lead to diminished executive functions, such as problem-solving, impulse control, and emotional regulation. The epigenetic changes spurred by these habits can be passed down, making it more challenging for future generations to focus, learn, and regulate emotions. Picture a future where our descendants struggle with attention spans and memory, all thanks to our obsession with digital multitasking. A digital age gift that keeps on giving!

Ironically, our efforts to stay connected in the digital realm might also be degrading our real-world social skills. The overreliance on digital communication could be altering the epigenetic markers associated with social behaviors and interpersonal interactions. (Have you seen the family at the restaurant who aren’t saying a word because everyone is engaged with their phone?) Fast forward to a future where our descendants find it hard to engage in meaningful face-to-face conversations, preferring the safety of screens over the complexities of human interactions. An epigenetic twist of fate, ensuring our digital legacy lives on in their social awkwardness.

And what about our children’s children’s children, you ask? Will they look back upon our era with gratitude for the digital epigenetic heirlooms we’ve bequeathed? Perhaps not. They might find themselves grappling with the unintended consequences of our digital indulgence, navigating a world where epigenetic changes shape their health, cognition, and social interactions in ways we could never have predicted.

In our quest for digital gratification, we’ve unwittingly become pioneers of an epigenetic revolution. Our digital habits are sculpting a genetic narrative for future generations, one marked by sleep disturbances, anxiety, metabolic challenges, cognitive difficulties, and social quirks. The irony of it all lies in the fact that while we strive to leave behind a technological legacy, our true legacy might be inscribed in the very genes of our descendants.

Perhaps the inadequacies and challenges we bequeath to our future generations will be compensated by another legacy we leave behind, as the last generations alive who remember the time before artificial intelligence, but that’s a conversation for another day.