The physicality of our world is shrinking away from us every day. It happened to music first, becoming increasingly portable until now, when its physical existence in our lives has basically evaporated completely. My entire music collection? I can stream it live to my iPhone via Subsonic. I don’t even have a dedicated ‘music device’ any more.

Movies are much the same, since Netflix and digital theft have replaced any need to buy films. Books are being replaced the same way music was. It’s not just media though, the portability of communication has removed the physical limitation of wired telephones. We need never be disconnected, and that changes the way we feel and interact with each other.

I feel like I was born at an unfortunate time. A couple years later, and I would have completely missed the experience of physically hoarding CDs and DVDs; Going next door to see if a friend was home; Going out, risking missing a phone call since your only phone is at home, and not in your pocket; Viewing the media I own as commodities that add value to my life, that I could sell for boredom or necessity if I needed to. A couple years earlier and I could just be blissfully ignorant of the changes happening. Maybe.

These experiences shape your expectation of the world. I grew up with the expectations a physical existence has. I like to hold things in my hands. I like to put things places and have them be there. Sometimes people need to be alone. The turn to digital, portable, has removed the physicality of media and distance. It’s removed the ability to ever want to feel truly alone, because you never really are unless you try.