Why I Decided to Watch the World?
From the first IBM XT to the age of AIs, technology promised freedom but delivered surveillance. I reflect on my journey since the 80s to explain why, today, I believe vigilance must never stop. Are you ready to step through the door?
My journey into technology began in 1987. I had just transferred from a small school to one of the largest in the region, and that's where destiny introduced me to my first computer: the IBM XT (that classic machine with the green monochrome screen).
Back then, the "magic" was rudimentary. Without the internet or complex software, our computer classes were purely logical: we programmed in DBasic and played with Beja Logo (one of many Logo languages out there). I still remember the feeling of commanding the "turtle" on screen. I'd type sequences of steps and angles, and like magic, a perfect square came to life. For a kid, it was pure sorcery: the press of a key transforming instantly into light on the monitor.
In the mid-90s, things changed. We started exploring animations in CorelMOVE and had our first encounter with the legendary Prince of Persia. Even though we were "behind" compared to releases at the time, the fluidity of movement in that game was (and still is, in my opinion) a masterpiece of animation.
It was during this period that I got my first computer: an IBM Aptiva 486 DX2/50, a used machine my father bought from a friend. It boasted an incredible 4MB of RAM and a 540MB hard drive (yes, megabytes), running the iconic Windows 3.1. With that PC, I got my first taste of the professional market: I earned my first 10 reais transcribing an article in Word.
Although I took a Web Master course in 2000 (mastering what we now call frontend, backend, and infrastructure), I didn't dive headfirst into the IT market until 2002. Looking back, my only regret is not jumping into this field even sooner.
I've witnessed technological evolution from the pixels of Atari to the advent of AIs. Without a doubt, the biggest leap of this era was the democratization of information. As the quirky ET Bilu would say, we've never had it so easy to "seek knowledge".
However, the network is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it enchants us with its vastness, but on the other, it watches us and terrifies us. The same internet that shows us cute kitten videos allows access to abysses that would horrify even the most righteous person. It's the true rabbit hole of Alice: the deeper you go, the darker it becomes. At times, the phrase "ignorance is bliss" seems like the greatest survival advice ever invented.
The world moves chaotically. When we finally understand the gears behind the glittering screens, we realize that vigilance must be constant. It's not just about consuming technology, but about understanding how it shapes us.
Paraphrasing Morpheus from The Matrix: "I can only show you the door. You're the one who has to walk through it". If you decide to cross it, you won't be alone. You'll be accompanied by those who've chosen to understand what really exists "out there" so they can, finally, chart their own path.
