I have a name, a passport, and a login. I have an address, a place, and even a hangout for groups of friends. I build a history, a past. I even get a predictive future.
I am a citizen of Google.
A few months back, before the close of our recent election cycle in the U.S., I started exploring what it meant to be a citizen of a country/state/city and how our relationship with technology impacted that. Did the services offered by companies like Google, Facebook Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, and Samsung aid our identity as citizens? Were these powerful suites of services making our communities better? Were we more connected and stronger? Did they enable us engage with our city in a more substansitive way?
Trust us
As I started to ask my peers about their connection to their city or country and the nature of their citizenship, the responses were mixed. There was a sense of pride in place, as in the way their town square felt or how easy it was to access the train and travel downtown in 15 minutes. But when I asked what it meant to be a citizen of their city, there were no clear answers. "Do you mean taxes?" was a question I heard often. "Do you mean do I vote?" was another. "Do you mean how do I feel about the government?"
Woven between the responses was a general level of distrust, that tax revenue was not being used efficiently, that city officials and council members were incapable of meeting the responsibilities of their position. Being a citizen seemed to be a hassle, only defined by the steady march of utility bills, restrictive zoning, and ridiculous parking regulations. In short, citizenship was a pain in the ass. It got in the way of life and was seen as being more frustrating than valuable.
Click and swipe
Throughout my conversations, there was always a smartphone in hand or within a quick arm's length reach. If our conversations brought out a topic that needed more context or definition, we'd consult our phones for more information. We'd ask for advice from the metal slab we held.
At the end of one particular cup of coffee, my friend across the table asked me for my Google address before we got up to bus our mugs. She didn't ask for my email, or phone number, or my home address, but my Google address.
First, she assumed that I had one. Of course I did. I had to have one since I was here, right? It isn't an odd request at all but in that moment, as we were talking about citizenship and how technology may impact what it means to be a citizen, it struck my how much we TRUST our phones and the companies behind them.
We speak into our phones. We happily connect our bank accounts to our phones so that we can one-click and stay connected, work, and be entertained. We know that our behavior patterns are being tracked to provide us with a better experience, and we don't mind.
Imagine the idea of your local government having your credit card on hand ready to charge for an increased police presence in an instance. Or imagine City Hall tracking your behavior in order to better serve you. Would you trust those in government the same way you trust Google, Apple, and Microsoft?
Our phones are a comforting connection to something greater, and we want in. We want to be part of that whole and trust that the technology that allows us access is working in our best interest. We don't typically extend that same level trust to the governing institutions that we created to build community and serve our best interests.
So what have you done for me lately?
And that brings us back to citizenship. Is it possible that the sense of belonging that is facilitated by your iPhone or Android has replaced the sense of connection to our city or country? Are we more interested in the power we feel as citizens of Google than how it feels to be a citizen of Seattle, or the United States? Is that one reason we collectively aren't engaged in government and more than 40% of us don't vote?
Whether there is a Citizen Google or a Citizen Facebook, it is clear that interacting with these online communities and global connections is easy, responsive, and satisfying. When compared to working with your local government whether you are paying taxes or asking questions, it is positively heavenly.
A citizen is defined as an inhabitant of a city or town, especially one entitled to its privileges or franchises. With this definition one can see how "city or town" could be replaced with "technological ecosystem" or "suite of services" and being a citizen of Google might feel more valuable than identifying as a citizen of Seattle.
Perhaps we are citizens of both our towns and the technological ecosystems that we eagerly identify with and connect to. The question is which type of citizenship is more relevant to our lives? Which will we fight for? And, which do we trust?