JOINED UP THINKING

I hear ya…. You are thinking, “What are you banging on about NOW, Fran?”

When I was a child in the 1950s we were learning to write in a style we described as “Joined Up Writing”. We were very proud when we mastered it and developed our own distinctive hand-writing style.

Nowadays people call that form of written word “Cursive” which I find suggestive of the hidden significance of spelling and manifestation.

Not only is joined up writing becoming a rarely seen thing but I am detecting a distinct lack of joined up thinking happening nowadays.

As we scroll through our newsfeeds we are accustomed to a rapidly changing focus. One post tells us about a horrific disaster which causes a sharp intake of breath, swiftly followed by a meme or joke which elicits a grin. We are bombarded with a kaleidoscope of short reports and video clips and after a while they cease to raise our interest, certainly not any empathetic emotional response. A sort of mind numbness, I suppose.

We tell ourselves that we are toughening up to match the terrain, the zeitgeist. Emotional responses are often criticised as if they shouldn’t have a place in our minds. But it seems to me that the only emotions being dismissed are those which are empathetic, gentle and loving. I don’t see fury or rage ranting garnering much contempt. Far from it. One rage rant often unleashes a whole raft of reactive rage rants from all quarters, in rapid succession.

I hear ya…. You are thinking,
“What are you banging on about NOW, Fran?”

For many years, I have noticed that something akin to road-rage happens online.

Shall we call it cyber-rage?

I asked Brave Ai if that is a ‘thing’ already and of course it is…. I am just a tad late to the party as usual!

Cyber rage is a recognised term, though its specific meaning varies significantly between cyberpunk fiction and real-world digital behaviour.

In the context of cyberpunk literature and gaming the term refers to a critical cybertech malfunction or psychological breakdown where a user, overloaded with cyberware, enters a mindless murderous rage due to malware, hacking, or neural interference.

In real-world sociological and psychological contexts, the term describes online aggression and venting anger on social media platforms. Research indicates that internet users frequently use smart technology to express frustration toward perceived wrongdoers. This behaviour is characterised by a lack of empathy for the individuals behind the screens, leading to hostile interactions similar to physical road rage but occurring in virtual spaces.

Fictional Definition: Violent insanity caused by cyberware implants or hacker attacks.

Real-World Definition: Aggressive online behaviour and trolling driven by stress, anonymity, and reduced empathy.

Key Driver: The disconnect between physical isolation and digital interaction, which amplifies negative emotions without the social cues of face-to-face contact.

Right! Yep. That is what I am experiencing!

If someone cyber-rages at me online I am usually fired up with a “head full of bloody rude words” which I may let rip in the instant or I may allow to fester while I twiddle my “fluffy red pompom things” until I think of something terribly polite but intellectually savage to type.

💥TAKE THAT! 💥

I smugly congratulate myself and saunter off to the kitchen to celebrate my cyber-rage skills with another cup of coffee and maybe a naughty chocolate digestive or two which I consume while I wait for the inevitable return salvo.

Sometimes these battles turn into epic verbal tennis matches with points scored in rapid succession and nobody is calling the shots “OUT!” to dampen our fury.

Sometimes a whole crowd of ragers join in and rapid typing skills become the best weapons on the planet as we jostle for prime position.

Sometimes the devastating crushing power of an opponent has to be silently admired.

I have to admit that I do enjoy a spat of cyber-rage!

Now this is where I usually regret my lack of joined-up thinking.

I have scrolled on. My blood pressure has relaxed and I am gazing at a lovely morning beyond my window. I find a post that I want to comment on positively and away I go, typing and smiling serenely, as if butter wouldn’t melt in my sweet little mouth (?)

I might even wax lyrically…. or worse still, display the virtues of a reincarnated uber-guru…. or an experienced kindly parent…. or a granny herbalist who wants to love you better.

SEE WHAT I MEAN?

I am multiphrenic. Inconsistent. Erratic. Moody. Reactionary. Volatile.
I am also a tease, a joker, a pest and a menace.
I have been known to act like an Agony Aunt, a referee, a go-between or someone who genuinely cares.
I like to multi-task, study, reveal secrets, throw light into dark cobwebby corners and remember to return later when I can work alone in silence.

NOT AT ALL JOINED UP.

ONWARDS!
xx

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