Social autism

SOCIAL AUTISM OR EVOLUTION? of 10

A couple of weeks ago, I received the visit of a Guatemalan friend who was

returning from a business trip in Uruguay. He brought me a Uruguayan newspaper

article titled: “Autismo Social un Fenómeno de Nuestro Tiempo - Harlem Shake y

la Aldea Global” (Social Autism a Phenomenon of Our Time - Harlem Shake and

the Global Village), written by Jorge Majfud.

The article captured my attention for three reasons: it uses the term Autism

applied to an entire society, it discusses digital communication as an enabler,

and it conveys the author’s rhetoric in a Luddite tone.

Majfud presents his apocalyptic argument about the Harlem Shake video

by using a combination of a Narrative and Dramatistic rhetorical analysis. He con-

cludes that such viral phenomenon is a portrait of our society’s inability to form

normal social relationships and its impairment of communication.

Using the narrative perspective, I will discuss how his one-sided argument

could have a negative impact on his audience by increasing the fear of em-

bracing technology. Also, I will explore an alternative interpretation of the Harlem

Shake Video phenomenon by reviewing: why humans communicate; how com-

munication has evolved and continues to do so; and how, instead of suffering

from autism, our society is simply constantly adapting to a more complex socio-

technological evolution.


DEFINING AUTISM

Before I start my analysis, I deem crucial to define the word Autism because it is

central to Majfud’s message. According to the Merriam-Webster Medical Diction-

ary, Autism is “a developmental disorder that... is recognized and diagnosed by

impairment of the ability to form normal social relationships, by impairment of the

ability to communicate with others...”

WHO IS JORGE MAJFUD?

Based on Majfud’s gloom and doom views of our society, expressed on the “Au-

tismo Social” newspaper article and his criticism of social networks and electronic

communications, which he calls “incomunicaciones electrónicas”, I pictured him

as an old guy resisting technological advances. To my surprise, he is a 44-year-

old assistant professor of Spanish at Jacksonville University. He is also an award-

winning writer. He was born in Montevideo, Uruguay and writes articles for several

magazines and newspapers around the world. Among his wealth of articles, he

wrote: “The Culture of Hate”, “The Imperfect Sex: Why is Sor Juana Not a Saint?”

and “Where we are Headed”. The latter starts with the following statement, “The

20th Century was a pessimistic century. So much so that even today no serious

thought is possible without a strong dose of bitterness.” (Where We Are Headed).

SOCIAL AUTISM AND THE HARLEM SHAKE ARTICLE

Jorge Majfud’s gloomy outlook is also found in his article “Harlem Shake y la Aldea

Global”. It was published in the printed edition of the Uruguayan newspaper “La

República” on March 16, 2013.

He argues that the isolation of the individuals of today’s society is syntag-

matic to the “Zombie Phenomenon” and consumerism. In his analysis, consum-

erism transformed the individual into a will-less being that consumes idly and is


consumed at the same. As a result, the individual has been robbed of his human

dignity and became an object of society by the automation of his mind.

Since people have become objects, the disposal mentality of consumerism

also applies to them. We dispose people, or the relationship with them, once they

have served their purpose. Higher rates of divorce, disrespect and abandonment

of the elder, fleeting friendships, replacing workers with automated machines,

objectification of women in advertisement, and children labor are just a few ex-

amples of the pervasive results of the disregard for human dignity in a consumerist

society.

Majfud states that the “Harlem Shake” video is not only a kairotic, funny,

and senseless “dance” that went viral, it is the parody of the autistic society that

we live in.

He starts by describing the setting, characters, events, relationships, and

the negative moral of the text. This video has two acts. On the first act there is one

individual that moves around dancing-like and the group of people around him

are doing non-related individual activities.

This behavior can be ob-

served also in live settings such

as restaurants, where a group

of friends or a family is having

dinner together and instead of

engaging in conversation, each

one is checking their cellphones.

Another example could be the

multitasking of employees in

the midst of a business meeting.


People read e-mails, send text messages, and/or update their Facebook status

while discussing business. This is today’s idea of “being together” or what Majfud

calls Social Autism.

Going back to the video, Majfud argues that the idea of alienation and

lack of communication is accentuated by the fact that the lone ranger usually

wears a hardhat or a mask. He also considers that the individual dance is a sign

of narcissism.

On the second act, everybody imitates the first one but add its own twist. All

the zombies mindlessly follow the leader and behave like him, but with a minor dif-

ference, because the Narcissus needs to feel different. To Majfud, this is “un acto

de masturbación colectiva” (an act of collective masturbation), the triumph of

the autistic, but not the overcoming of autism.

Majfud’s overview points out what is wrong with society: isolation, consum-

erism, zombie phenomenon, narcissism, voyeurism, etc. and implies that digital

media such as Facebook and YouTube are enablers of such despicable behaviors.

UNDERSTANDING THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF SOCIAL AND

COMMUNICATION EVOLUTION

The two major characteristics of autism are social and communication behav-

iors. Therefore, understanding the past, observing the present, and predicting the

future of social and communication systems is critical to conclude if humanity is

becoming autistic or evolving.

Like other primates, humans are social beings. Protection from harsh envi-

ronments and sharing of goods were two of the main reasons groups were formed

among humans. As basic needs were met with ease and predators were no lon-

ger a threat, we started to form more intricate relationships and stronger social

bonds (“Social Life”).


According to the What does it mean to be human? website, humans be-

gan interacting with social groups located far from their own 130,000 years ago

and faraway trading started 40,000 years ago. These activities enriched their lives

and enable them to survive.

Human’s social evolution started 2.6 million years ago with the birth of tech-

nology, when we started using stone tools (“Human Evolution Timeline Interac-

tive”). We have gone from a nomad tribe to a global village and along the way

we have endured three dramatic shifts.

We stopped wandering the lands and settled down to farm and herd ani-

mals. This stage lasted around 12,000 years and ended with the Industrial Revolu-

tion. Farming and herding, as the main source of resources, were replaced by

mass production. The Industrial Revolution Age only lasted 150 years and gave in

to the Information Age.

The Information Age can be divided in two phases: the Information Phase,

the stage of “the knowledge worker... he who creates and manages informa-

tion, massaging it into intangible knowledge goods,” a good example of this is

Microsoft (Zelenka), and the Connection Phase, the stage of “the web worker...

he who creates and manages relationships across knowledge goods, hardware,

and people” (Zelenka), where Google is the poster child.

Communication is a key component of socialization. Therefore, social evo-

lution has always being accompanied by communication evolution. Rembrandt

Klopper, a professor at University of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa, estates that

“forms of communication have periodically emerged to help humans cope with

ever increasing cultural complexification” (107).

Survival is the need that drives both, socialization (group formation) and

communication. Therefore, we always have to keep in mind that survival is the


driving force of communication. In Klopper’s words, “communication is a con-

tested meeting of minds, where fellow communicators cooperate, compete or

confront one another to clearly convey their intentions and contentions” (109).

Changes to the social struc-

tures coincide with new forms of

communication. Non-verbal, verbal

and graphical representations were

developed during the nomadic age

to help them stay on top of the food

chain.

Once nomads settled in and form com-

munities, political leaders emerged. The

power struggle among leaders gave

birth to new forms of communication. Dis-

course allowed leaders to compete with

other leaders and ensure power over their

followers. On this early stage of the pastoral age, knowledge was transmitted

orally. Later, written communication

emerged and allowed knowledge

to be recorded. The catalyst of the

knowledge boom was the invention

of the printing press by Gutenberg

which allowed people to “learn inde-

pendently and to communicate across time and space.” (Klopper 116)


Rapid urbanization and mass production of goods characterized the Indus-

trial Age. Before the Industrial Revolution, we consumed what we needed. The

mass production of the new era created an unbalanced market. The amount

of goods exceeded the needs of consum-

ers and the solution to that problem was to

change the buyer’s behavior. People no

longer would buy because they need, but

because they want. Companies resorted to

advertising to create the illusion that wants

are needs and to promote the “need” to re-

place instead of repair. Consumerism came to life and with it a new form of com-

munication was also born: electronic communications - telegraph, radio, and

television.

But to understand our present, the Information Age, Klopper goes back to

the beginning because “Our ancient nomadic souls are incongruent with pres-

ent-day sedentary existence... to communicate electronically is to move about,

explore, travel and visit people at new destinations” (121). This nomadic belief

system goes hand in hand with today’s mobile culture. Klopper points out that the

amount of travel metaphors that we use in our language is evidence of this yearn-

ing. For example, going online, surfing

the web, visiting websites, etc. The in-

vention of the personal computer cat-

apulted the sharing of knowledge and

independent learning, while the Inter-

net allowed us to explore of the whole

world from wherever we are (140).


The latest technological inventions occurred at the same time as the roots

of what we knew as social structures and roles started to change. The stronghold

of our society, the family, is no longer a two-parent household; we now have:

single parent households, same-sex parent households, or no-family households

because being single is no longer a taboo. Private intimacy has been substitut-

ed by public sociability at a global scale. Men spend more time at home, while

women spend less time at home. Entertainment moved from public places to the

intimacy of home. (Wellman)

To understand better the phenomenon of the Harlem Shake, and the isolation

that Majfud declared as autistic behavior, we need to look ahead. From the spec-

trum of future technologies, I think Quantum Computing might hold the answer of

why we are isolating ourselves and displaying “abnormal” social behaviors.

“Quantum theory have demonstrated that matter simultaneously

has two modes of existence... everything in the universe, including

humans, is built up from particles that are located in space-time,

but which at the same time exists as waves that are not subject

to space-time constraints... So could

you be turned quantum? It all comes

down to information, or the flow of it.

This determines how you interact with

the world, and whether you can, for

example, be in two places at once. If

you want to be quantum you have to

isolate yourself from your surroundings

by making sure there is no way that

you leak information” (132-3)


CONCLUSION

I am sure Luddites have existed on each age of humanity’s evolution history. They

were ready to condemn the new and cling to the old, but their resistance to ad-

aptation did not stop progress; it only made the growing pains even more painful,

for them and their followers.

When I say that Majfud’s rhetoric has a Luddite tone, I am not negating the

value of his observations, but I do believe he is presenting a one-sided argument.

I agree with some of his ideas, especially those related to the harmful effects of

consumerism.

Majfud compared what he calls the autistic characteristics of dances such

as Breakdance and Harlem Shake to the narcissism-voyeurism of Facebook. In

a way, he was criticizing YouTube and Facebook for being the platform of such

unacceptable behaviors. Majfud delivered his message of digital media disdain

to a population characterized as technological averse (Latin American adults

between the ages of 45 and 65); his criticism may only increase his audience fear

of technology and resistance to embrace the new Communication Era. Feeding

fears does not help, it only hinders adaptation. Enabling understanding, in the

other hand, sets people free to explore and make educated decisions.

We are witnessing and, at the same time, co-creating the new phase of hu-

man communication, which is being prompted by a reconfigured social structure

and the fast-paced technological advances.

The isolation of individuals, considered abnormal, based on today’s normal

social behavior standards, might be the preparation for us to become quantum

and the new standard for future generations.


WORKS CITED

“Human Evolution Timeline Interactive.” What does it mean to be human?

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, n.d. Web.

30 Mar. 2013.

Klopper, Rembrandt. “Future Communications: Mobile Communications,

Cybernetics, Neuro-Informatics and Beyond.” School of Information

Systems & Technology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban South Africa.

2005: 121-144. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.

--- “The Evolution of Human Communication from Nonverbal

Communication to Electronic Communications.” School of Information

Systems & Technology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban South Africa.

2005: 107-120. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.

Majfud, Jorge. “Harlem Shake y la Aldea Global.” La República.

16 Mar. 2013. Print.

---“Where We Are Headed.” MRZine. 19 Dec. 2006. Web. 18 Apr. 2013

“Social Life.” What does it mean to be human? Smithsonian National Museum

of Natural History, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2013.

Wellman, Barry. “The Network Community. An Introduction to Networks in

the Global Village.” Computing in the Humanities and Social Sciences

Faculty of Arts & Science, University of Toronto, n.d. Web. 30 Mar.

2013.

Zelenka, Anne. “From The Information Age To The Connected Age.” Gigaom,

6 Oct. 2007. Web. 30 Mar. 2013

Social autism

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