Google Landlords
Interest groups are always looking for more members. The first complimentary meeting is a sociologist’s dream. You see faces and personalities. Some smiles dance like the eyes of a well-fed and loved baby. Other smiles stretch once and close like an accordion.
But, you cannot miss the Google landlord. There she was in one bible study I attended, not to disappoint a friend who was trying to recruit me. I noticed that the Google landlord had the discussion in the palm of her hand literally, because when the group tried to remember a date or someone’s name, she Googled it.
There was uncertainty about a song, she Googled it. What blew my mind was a scripture in the bible. The group was not sure about it. The Google landlord looked it up. That sealed it for me. I was not going to join the group. Anyway I accepted the invitation to appease a friend. I’m not a Jesus person. He came with European settlers to steal land that became the British Empire, countries that are now called 'poor.'
The Google landlord has destroyed the reason for getting together. People want to use their mouth and brain to talk about family, the weather, elections, the boss, the pandemic, taxes, whatever. The Google landlord seems to forget that everyone around the table has a cellphone. No information is exclusive.
Google landlords are one of the reasons why people drop out of certain groups or leave early to rush off somewhere. What’s the point of discussions that are not discussions?
By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.
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