Hey there,

I think with the rising AI trends and how ‘digital’ our world has become, people want to be more ‘real’ and personable. I think people miss real, live interactions with others. Some people seem to be taking ‘digital detoxes’ and going offline to spend more time with friends and family. Even some of my college-age students are only allowing themselves to use their phones for a short period of time, rather than ‘scrolling’ for hours. Maybe it was the COVID lockdown that did this to us, or maybe it is just exhausting to watch other people’s lives all of the time. I have even seen Instagram reels where people say, “Get off the phone and go for a walk!” Regardless of the why, I like it! I remember life before the digital age, and it was better, at least I think so.

Another trend, or just something that people want more of now, is ‘reality’ in general. Yes, AI is cool, but most people can tell that it is fake. Not just the images, but with ChatGPT, I can tell that it was used because there are way too many adjectives, and it just does not sound personable or human, even though they try to. I mean, even the acronym IRL is a thing (in real life). As a Gen Xer, that makes me shake my head because technology has taken over so much of our lives, and I remember life before all of this. It seems like it is getting out of control, actually, especially with writing. My students find it so easy to copy and paste those extra big words that ChatGPT spits out in two seconds. I remind them that they need to learn how to be good writers and not let a computer do it for them. I want them to be real human writers. It is crazy that I even need to say that. I think for the most part, they get it, once I remind them to write IRL.