While technological advancements offer society significant gains, they always come with a price: What if we created a world where Spider-man could not exist?
As with the rest of the world, I am thrilled about Kate Middleton’s pregnancy. I am ecstatic that K. Stew and R. Pattz’s love is strong enough to weather fame and scandal. I am also happy that Rhea Perlman and Danny DeVito have not given up on their marriage. On a personal note, I am pleased that the guy who broke my heart in high school is still single at 40. More importantly, I am glad many can now access this information through social media.
In our world, privacy is no longer a right. It is fast becoming a privilege we are less inclined to grant. The public eye’s field of vision has expanded because of social media. However, what concerns me the most is our inability to draw the line. Although photos of Kim Kardashian pushing a grocery cart in her Louboutins or Halle Berry getting coffee seem benign, we now have the technology to pursue our fascination with the “other,” which makes it all the more “dangerous.” We feel entitled to another’s personal information because we have created a technical infrastructure to access it. I have accepted that gossip has gone tech. I hate that we no longer hold anything sacred.
When Stan Lee first introduced our beloved wall-crawler in the 60s, having a secret identity was possible. Now, with everyone carrying a camera and our cell phones tracked from space, there is no way for Peter to sustain his secret identity. Spidey would have been stalked not only by the paparazzi but also by the ordinary citizens he protected. People could now list and map out his rescues. Hell, there would even be an app for it.
The saddest thing is that we would see everything right with our actions. We had a right to know who Spider-man was. We would have an excuse to exercise our distrust of the motives of others simply because we had the technology to out him. The fact that we have become a society that doesn’t deserve a hero is something that I find the most troubling. We don’t seem to be able to accept the responsibility that comes with our great powers.