I was also one of those people who hadn’t caught up with…
““I was also one of those people who hadn’t caught up with the latest social networking site. Maura belonged to most of them. She passed most evenings befriending men who had tried to date-rape her in high school, but I was still stuck in the last virtual community, a sad place to be, like Europe, say, during the Black Death. Whenever I cruised this site, with its favorites lists and its paeans to somebody’s cousin’s gas station art gallery, I could not help but think of medieval corpses in the spring-thaw mud, buboes sprouted in every armpit and anus, black bile curling out of frozen mouths. Those of us still cursed with life wandered the blasted dales of this stricken network, wept and moaned and flogged ourselves with frayed AC adaptors, called out for God to strike us dead, or else let us find somebody who liked similar bands.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The narrator feels isolated in an outdated online community, comparing it to medieval plague, expressing frustration and yearning for connection amid digital alienation.
In simple terms: Feeling stuck online feels like a medieval plague.
Key Takeaway
Seek authentic connection beyond shallow platforms.
Themes
loneliness
digital alienation
nostalgia
frustration
Mood
cynical
reflective
Type
social commentary
literary
When to use this quote
- personal relationships
- online dating
- digital detox
Key Concepts
online communities
social media fatigue
existential dread
Questions to Reflect On
- What online habits keep you feeling trapped?
- How can you find meaningful community offline?
A Different Perspective
The comparison may exaggerate modern loneliness.