MyPetPeeves

Pet Peeve time. I hate iX and MyX. In grade school, I learned that we should embrace our differences, our diversity, our uniqueness. It almost came to the point that we were taught that conformity was bad and being different was good. Maybe when dealing with the pack mentality of adolescents, you have to do that; I dunno. However, as an adult, I can observe that damn few societies function without a degree of conformity. On same days, I worry that we have come so far in promoting the virtue of tolerance that we have passed the point of virtue and moved into the twin vices of self-absorption and selfishness.

This brings me to the pet peeve and today’s example, computer software. We have MyDocuments, MyDownloads, MyMusic, MyPictures, etc. Mac’s have ichat, imusic, iphoto, imovie, itunes, etc. It’s all my my my, me me me, i i i. (To be fair, the original itunes may have been a reference to internet tunes.) In our drive for uniqueness, we have marketed self-identity and in so doing, I’m not sure we have done ourselves any favors. Where is OurPictures or FamilyDocuments or Everyone’s tunes? Are we losing the other and becoming absorbed in the I?