Anyone who has spent time with me discussing technology or science fiction knows that one of the most influential books I’ve ever read is Snow Crash (1992) by Neal Stephenson. For me, it was a trailblazer, lighting the way to ideas often overlooked by mainstream thinking. For anyone entering the field of information technology, it’s like a guidebook for imagining the future. But, amusingly, very few of the people I’ve urged to read Snow Crash ever actually did—much like when someone says, “You really should read the Bible…”

I doubt even Stephenson–– when he finished writing this novel–– fully anticipated the profound impact his work would have. Beyond laying out the blueprint for the internet, coining future-defining phrases, such as the Metaverse (Facebook’s Meta)…, defining concepts of franchising a culture, and inspiring entire gaming platforms (i.e. Second Life, World of Warcraft, etc), Snow Crash set the stage for a wave of sci-fi novels and films that followed his vision.

But for me, one brief passage in the book sparked a truly unconventional view: it led me to question our so-called “addiction” to screen time—or, as I like to call it, glassed. The hours people spend immersed in digital worlds aren’t necessarily wasteful or detrimental; instead, they offer new avenues for creativity, connection, and exploration. This, however, is a perspective I rarely succeed in convincing others of. My audience often hears me out, their interest piqued at first, only to be overwhelmed by new ideas before they drift away, defaulting back to familiar doubts about technology’s role in our lives.

Stay with me on this, and if you can”t, just scroll to the bottom and watch the trailer, then come back to this part of the post:

The protagonist in Snow Crash, Hiro, encounters Da5id. In real life, Da5id is a quadriplegic, but in the Metaverse, he is a formidable presence—a “bad-ass” who moves freely and with authority. His character exemplifies how people can adopt powerful, alternate personas in digital spaces, unconstrained by their physical limitations in the real world. I think why this resonated with me much as it did, may have had a lot to do with the character, Da5id (sounds a lot like David), who opened my eyes to a world I had thought of as just play, until I heard his story.

If you have ever spent time in an MMO (Massive Multiplay On-line game), you can easily loose your concept of time as well as who you really are. In these MMO platforms, you adopt an Avatar to represent you in the digital world, like putting on a cowboy hat or crown as a kid and the alter-ego you became. I myself have never submerged in one long enough to dive into the abyss, but those who have, like Hiro, just may have had a better life in the digital world then the one, limited by flesh and blood.

At parties, if I am lucky enough to be in the company of others who bring up the inevitable: “The real problem with this world is that people are spending too much time on their phones...” This is where I cast the line and with just the right amount of jigging, I set the hook…. but more often I loose my catch before reeling one in. If you have ever seen a fish with a hook set in it’s jaw, as I have, the first thing you notice are the glassing of the eyes–– they are only thinking of escape, like my audience. LOL.

But too my point and before I loose my catch, I highly recommend you watch this amazing NetFlix documentary called, The Remarkable Life of Iberlin, before it is gone. Then afterwards, we can have that conversation. Thank you , as always, for your time.