“Asking for a Friend” by Chvrches, Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Every year, people get more connected as more and more of the world joins the Internet. Now we have the world in a box in our pockets, and we can’t get enough screen time. Our parents and grandparents may have been scolded for watching too much broadcast TV after school, but now we can constantly look at a screen curating whatever content we want to watch at school if we’re careful not to get caught. Whereas many parents guarded their dial-up Internet passwords to protect young eyes from violence and pornography on the Internet, now lightning-fast data allows anyone to see some of the most shocking things online. The pervasive use of screen addiction, particularly to violence and pornography, inspired the Scottish band Chvrches to write their 2021 concept album, Screen Violence.
I FILLED MY BED WITH REGRETS. Each track on Chvrches’ Screen Violence deals with aspects of a seemingly dystopian technologically-driven world. The opening track “Asking for a Friend” deals with the irony of isolation despite everyone being connected. The lyrics feel more stream-of-conscious than a typical song structure. The speaker bears her soul to what seems to be like an anonymous Internet forum. She can further distance herself from her shame by simply saying that the advice she’s seeking is not for herself, but “for a friend.” Of course, “asking for a friend” is not something that was invented by the Internet. You could make a doctor’s appointment across town, dress up in a trench coat and dark sunglasses, and bring up the most perverse acts your “friend” told you about the other day at tea or you could write to Abby or Ann Landers, but at some point you have to follow the advice.
THE MESS WE MADE ON FRIDAYS GAVE ME SUNDAYS ON MY KNEES. While there is a plethora of misinformation and the potential for danger, in the information age, we don’t actually want to get rid of it. We certainly don’t want to have to carry around bulky Rand McNally atlases to plot out our trip or take a trip to the library to browse the latest encyclopedia with information that was outdated by the time it went to print. Some legislators claim that children can access adult material or that it even exists or that “fake news” misleads individuals to make harmful decisions is proof that the Internet should be censored. But before trying blanket censorship, what education have you offered the public about dealing with harmful information? Instead, public schools in America are forcing teachers to teach the Bible. I had a conversation with a colleague about the importance of the Internet for students, particularly when they feel different from their peers. She said that being able to ask questions anonymously gives students language to understand themselves. This is true from something like music enthusiasts who like a particular style of music their peers don’t like to students understanding that their sexualities are normal and that thousands or millions of other teenagers have asked these questions since at least the advent of the Internet. No longer do you need to sit in health class and “ask on behalf of a friend.”
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