Peter Pan Technology?

We all start off as theorists. Some of us never get beyond it.

And it’s not just academics. Theory is safe. Practice is dangerous.

Aand, of course, there are so many theories available. And it’s hard to give up on a theory — well a model- when you have committed to it. We all commit to models — be nice, be kind, don’t steal, lie, cheat, kill, and so on.

And there are good reasons for this. Models are functional. In the social world, these models are needed for groups to perform effectively for their members.

Of course, some people are able to redefine their models in the light of experience.

But few of us do it very well. Those models well, they are ‘us’, to quote the title of a failed toy business. Tearing them out of our ‘self’ is painful and often unsuccessful. We overreact, taking extreme positions. We may think we have transitioned to experience effectively, but if that’s true, why are we so conflicted about it?

It’s probably the biggest single moaning point on social media. Indeed, sometimes Facebook is so occupied with betrayal and loss that it comes off as an endless whinging Country and Western concert.

But let’s get real. There is a lot of pressure to conform. And although we all get worried about media control and the production of ‘facts’ being related to the weight of opinion -everytweetcounts- maybe there is a better question.

For, instance, does social media just keep us as theorists? Forever? Are platforms and apps designed to distract us from the real? And protect us from the experiences that will help us become effective ‘practitioners’. Humans that take action and don’t just talk about it.

And does this inability to cross the bridge from theory to practice mean that most of us are likely never to grow up?

So, is infantilization the price we will pay for never having been able to test our models in practice.

Or might we make the transition to adulthood in time?