Over the years, and especially before the coronavirus outbreak of 2020, I often stumbled across a reoccurring message of woe. It’s found in news stories and poetry, artwork and Facebook posts. That message basically goes as follows: the digital landscape — whilst allowing us to connect with people and places across the globe — actually disconnects us from what actually matters. In short: technology-is-bad-and-is-turning-us-into-robots.

多年来，尤其是在2020年冠状病毒爆发之前，我经常偶然发现一个反复出现的祸首。 在新闻故事和诗歌，艺术品和Facebook帖子中都可以找到它。 该信息基本上是这样的：数字环境-在允许我们与全球各地的人和地方联系的同时，实际上使我们脱离了实际问题。 简而言之： 技术是坏的，并且正在把我们变成机器人。

The self-elected anti-tech prophets argue that our mobile phones and computers are creating a disconnected world where our family, friends, even beloved pets, come second to the device nestled in the palm of our hand. Ironic that the very devices that exist to connect us to each other are the apparent cause of such social isolation.

自选的反技术先知们辩称，我们的手机和计算机正在创造一个不连贯的世界，在这个世界中，我们的家人，朋友，甚至是宠爱的宠物，紧随其后仅次于该设备。 具有讽刺意味的是，现有的将我们彼此连接的设备正是这种社会孤立的明显原因。

This dystopian outlook is a little too Black Mirror. It’s drowned in hyperbole and resistant to change. It’s true that — at their worst — mobile phones conjure the image of fearful waters in which catfish and worse predators swim. However, where isolation is concerned, this so-called malady of technology is actually a tonic.

这种反乌托邦的面貌有点像《 黑镜》 。 它被夸张夸张地淹没并且难以改变。 的确，在最坏的情况下，移动电话会让人联想到可怕的水域，which 鱼和更恶劣的掠食者在其中游泳。 但是，在隔离方面，这种所谓的技术弊病实际上是滋补品。

In The Lonely City, Olivia Laing touches on Andy Warhol. His creative mind suffered at the hand of isolation in New York’s vastness, like many before him and many since. Warhol sought solace in automation, in the moving images and quiet hum of his television screen. According to Laing, Warhol marveled at TV’s ability to “fill up empty emotional space,” transforming the device into a “surrogate for love and a panacea for love’s wounds.” Who, today, hasn’t turned to the television to distract from painful thoughts? Who hasn’t reached for their phone, in the hope of escaping seclusion, to transport to some distant online space?

在《寂寞的城市》中 ， Olivia Laing接触了Andy Warhol。 他的创造力受到纽约广阔地区的孤立之苦，就像他之前的许多人和此后的许多人一样。 沃霍尔(Warhol)在电视屏幕的动态图像和安静的嗡嗡声中寻求自动化方面的安慰。 根据Laing的说法，沃霍尔对电视“填补空的情感空间”的能力赞叹不已，将该设备转变为“爱的代名词和万能的爱的万能药”。 今天，谁还没有转向电视来转移痛苦的念头？ 为了逃避隐居，谁还没有伸手去转移到遥远的在线空间？

This tripartite of technology, isolation, and love is perhaps most brilliantly visualized in Spike Jonze’s Her (2013). The film imagines the life of Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), another creative yet socially isolated mind. His world is set in a not-so-distant, Utopian future where technology aids every part of contemporary life. All the while, Theodore’s lack of real human connection confines him to a solitary state. Enter Samantha: a futuristic Operating System. Think along the lines of if Alexa or Siri suddenly developed the capacity to think, feel, or even love. The bodiless OS is decorated with the popular tones of Scarlett Johansson to boot. Together, OS and human, Sam and Theodore, find companionship with thanks to technology.

斯派克·琼兹(Spike Jonze)的作品《 她 ( Her)》 (2013年)中，这种对技术，隔离和爱的三重态度也许最为生动。 这部电影描绘了西奥多·托姆布雷 (Joaquin Phoenix) 的生活 ，他是另一位富有创造力却在社会上与世隔绝的人。 他的世界处于一个不那么遥远的乌托邦式的未来，技术将为当代生活的每个部分提供帮助。 一直以来，西奥多缺乏与人之间真正的联系，使他只能处于孤独状态。 输入Samantha：一个未来的操作系统。 考虑一下Alexa或Siri是否突然发展了思考，感受甚至爱的能力。 这款无背身的操作系统采用Scarlett Johansson流行的色调进行装饰，以启动。 借助技术，OS和人类Sam和Theodore一起找到了伙伴。

Their relationship, both tender and tumultuous, is an exaggeration of what can take place between humans and digital bodies these days: the pair literally fall in love. Though who knows what might be possible in our future. In reality, their relationship is more reminiscent of the connection between two long-distance friends or lovers; made possible by that sometimes feared but ever-developing world of technology.

他们的关系既温柔又动荡，这是对当今人类与数字身体之间可能发生的事情的一种夸大说法：两人从字面上坠入爱河。 虽然谁知道我们的未来会发生什么 。 实际上，他们的关系使人联想到两个长途朋友或恋人之间的联系。 有时令人担忧但不断发展的技术世界使之成为可能。

I cannot say I’ve cultivated many online relationships, romantic or otherwise. But I know they exist. Since an early age, my brother has collected dozens of online friendships. The memory of his adolescence is peppered with the familiar, musical Skype dial; gifts received from Florida; letters sent to anywhere.

我不能说我已经建立了许多在线关系，无论是浪漫关系还是其他方式。 但是我知道它们存在 。 从小开始，我的兄弟就积累了数十种在线友谊。 他青春期的记忆中充斥着熟悉的音乐Skype表盘； 从佛罗里达收到的礼物； 信件发送到任何地方。

Unlike relationships formed with those nearby, online connections are more likely to stand the test of long-distance, having been formed despite distance in the first place. Perhaps my move to university, five years ago, would have been less isolating had I a few online friendships of my own. However, like my own relationships situated in the real world, some of my brother’s digital friendships have lasted, others have faded away. Maybe physical presence is an important part of a relationship after all; granting weight and reality between two separate bodies that might be situated worlds apart.

与附近的人形成的关系不同， 尽管距离遥远， 但在线关系更容易经受住长距离的考验。 如果我自己拥有一些网上友谊，也许五年前我上大学的机会会少一些。 但是，就像我自己在现实世界中的关系一样，我哥哥的一些数字友谊持续了下来，而另一些则消失了。 毕竟， 也许物理存在是一段关系的重要组成部分。 在可能彼此相距遥远的两个独立机构之间赋予权重和现实性。

Turning again to Her, as Samantha begins to grow, the unreachable gap between herself and her human lover can no longer be bridged:

再次转向她 ，随着萨曼莎开始成长，她与人类爱人之间无法逾越的鸿沟不再弥合：

‘It’s like I’m reading a book, and it’s a book I deeply love, but I’m reading it slowly now so the words are really far apart and the spaces between the words are almost infinite. I can still feel you and the words of our story, but it’s in this endless space between the words that I’m finding myself now.’ — Samantha (Scarlett Johannson) in Her

``就像我正在读一本书一样，这是我深爱的一本书，但是我现在读起来很慢，所以单词之间的距离真的很远，单词之间的间隔几乎是无限的。 我仍然能感觉到您和我们故事中的文字，但我现在正在寻找自己的文字之间处于无尽的空间。” 萨曼莎(Scarlett Johannson)在她的

Theodore Twombly’s namesake is attributed to the American, minimalist artist CY Twombly. His work, writes John Berger, ‘visualizes with living colors, the silent space that exists between and around words.’ In the film, this silent space is isolation, briefly filled with the color of Samantha’s technological affection.

Theodore Twombly的同名作品来自美国极简主义画家CY Twombly 。 约翰·伯杰(John Berger)写道 ，他的作品“以生动的色彩可视化，文字之间和周围存在着沉默的空间。” 在电影中，这个寂静的空间是孤立的，短暂地充满了萨曼莎的技术情感色彩。

Today, our lives have inadvertently mirrored Theodore’s loneliness. It’s a loneliness that wasn’t caused by our alleged obsession with our iPhones or games consoles, but by a global pandemic. In the wake of these uncertain times, our technological companions once again serve their intended purpose: connection with our nearest and dearest. We all feel isolation, perhaps collectively these days. Whilst physical connection is momentarily impossible, technology helps us fill those empty spaces.

今天，我们的生活无意中反映了西奥多的孤独感。 这不是我们所谓的对iPhone或游戏机的痴迷，而是全球流行导致的一种寂寞。 在这些不确定的时代之后，我们的技术同伴再次达到其预期目的：与我们最亲近的亲戚联系。 也许这些天我们都感到孤立。 尽管暂时无法建立物理连接，但技术可以帮助我们填补这些空白。

Chloe Harvey的作品和文字 (Artwork and words by Chloe Harvey)