In this hyper connected digital world, are we really connected or disconnected?
If you are like me, then you must be noticing people who are together but lonely..
Busy people with their plate full but empty at the core..
There is progress but not fulfillment..
The answer according to a growing body of evidence is the addictive power of digital technology.
Isn’t it interesting to know that that the two biggest tech figures in history — Bill Gates and Steve Jobs — seldom let their kids play with the very products they created!
Can a emoji or a text replace the warmth, the care, the joy, the love that a smile exudes, a meaningful conversation, a hearty laughter?
Can the robotic digital world ever replace the visceral, tactile experience of human touch?
I have been in tech for almost 2 decades and I am an advocate of technology. Having said that I now sense the danger of being disconnected while being connected.. How much time we spend on the devices compared to real people is truly amazing and alarming. I am observing this phenomena rapidly growing. It is turning out to be an epidemic. Many have forgotten to smile, leave alone talk. Even in the little time that people spend in the lifts, their spine is bent watching snapchat pictures or answering whatsapp or on Instagram!
The question is what is this costing us?
Through the polls, studies, and interviews that MIT psychologist Sherry Turkle conducted, she has concluded that this digital lifestyle has made us worse at making in-person connections.
Carefully crafted gamification strategies of the tech companies encourage constant use of digital apps. This explains how people may plan to watch just one YouTube video and glance at Twitter but somehow end up spending a half hour on both.
The result is a society that craves technology at all times just like a craving for sugar. The reason is sweet sensations activate the same reward centers of the brain as red notification badges, vibrations, and dings. In each case, the brain releases a small amount of dopamine, a reward-seeking chemical that promotes repeat behavior.
Already, the generation raised on smartphones is showing signs that overuse can be dangerous. Teen suicides now outnumberteen homicides, and mental-health experts suspect phones are playing a role. Specifically, social media has led to greater isolation and loneliness since kids would prefer to be by themselves than socialize offline. Research has found that an eighth-grader’s risk for depression jumps 27%when he or she frequently uses social media.
To be healthy, we need to learn how to make good food choices. Similarly to be emotionally healthy we have to learn to make good choices – how and with whom to spend our time with?
The foundation of social dynamics which happens through the human connections can never be replaced with an app. Turkle says the “empathy gap” has opened up between human beings as a result of our obsession with being digitally connected. I am afraid this fixation could lead us to being less human, less empathetic towards others which is the crux of being human. I sense the danger of the digital world encapsulating the human experience, the very experience of being human.
So how we can change our behavior and seize control back from technology? How can we add the human experiences back into our daily lives?
Let’s just get a grip on how we’re behaving with ourselves and with our kids and people around us. As responsible parents and citizens we have to lead the way ..
Let us raise children who are caring, compassionate, empathetic, and culturally sensitive.
Let us train our children to be not only competitive but collaborative.
Let us empower the youth not only with the technical or business acumen but also with the emotionally competency.
Let us teach them to listen, understand and talk in ways that resolve conflicts instead of escalating them.
“CEO’s are hired for their intellect and business expertise and fired for a lack of emotional intelligence” says the Harvard Professor, EI guru Daniel Goleman.
Let us build leaders who are emotionally intelligent. We need them now more than ever.
This begins with real connection. Let’s get talking and understanding real humans. Let us walk the talk.
Until Next,
Keep Smiling..