A Digital Society: Are we really more connected?
There’s an odd kind of loneliness to reaching for your device and scrolling through the endless drain of social media and swiping lifeless app notifications. In fact, even in a room full of people, this is a common experience; phones can be a temporary escape from reality, or a reflex we’ve developed to satisfy the craving for a dopamine kick. Since when did actually being present when in company become so difficult and are we really more connected?
In an interview with an MIT Professor Sherry Turkle discussing her book, Reclaiming Conversation she suggests in-person social interactions are necessary for preserving our capacity for empathy and intimacy towards one another and stating that
89 percent of Americans say that during their last social interaction, they took out a phone, and 82 percent said that it deteriorated the conversation they were in.
It seems the internet offers a somewhat false vision of greater connection between one another. Have we lost touch with the physical reality along the way and perhaps may feel more inclined to seek connection through a screen? According to the study, we are aware of the effects this has on us and our social experiences. Aware of the unhealthy habits, the technology dependency, the hours we waste daily, the addiction to the dopamine kicks, the constant stimulation as we are flooded with pages of information, streams of contradicting opinions, rights and wrongs, do and don'ts, threads of arguments, piling comments, likes and dislikes, endless recommendations and, obnoxious adverts. How hard is it to put all this down? Paying attention to the moment and the conversation is a skill that can be learned, is it really technology’s fault or is it within our control? Entire environments have been shaped for the digital age, escaping seems near impossible and yet equally as undesirable.
I’m walking with my earphones in, hearing the monotoned voice repeat the exact number of yards I need to walk before turning left and reaching my destination. It used to be more common to run into someone who is happy to help and holding the inquisitive belief that that someone may have the answer, or perhaps may teach you something unexpected, or delivered with a twist of their own experience, a joke, a smile, or discover a surprise common interest. The simple beauty of a conversation is that these can be mutual healthy experiences for those sharing in it. Perhaps, this is a little idealistic, I, myself am a Londoner and in a city of almost 9 million strangers with busy, unique lives, for the sake of convenience and reliability, a GPS navigator is definitely the preferred option.
So is this really all a lost art and how damaging is it to human connection?
If you happen to have ever come across the conversation topics of “iPad babies” or “shrinking attention spans”, it really may seem, comparatively, that the future of the digital age is a daunting new reality. And, although there are simply not enough long term studies to claim our attention spans are really worse than those of goldfish or that iPads inhibit the functional development of children, other statistics according to the #StatusofMind report published by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) and the Young Health Movement (YHM) come in pretty heavily :
Teens who spend three hours a day or more on electronic devices are 35 percent more likely to have a risk factor for suicide, such as making a suicide plan.
Those who spend six to nine hours a week on social media are still 47 percent more likely to say they are unhappy than those who use social media even less.
And the list goes on. With apps like Instagram being rated of the worst, it is not new news that social media in particular, is across studies, a clear source of many mental health issues, predominantly in teens and young people. It provides an ideal stage to a willingly addicted audience for displaying potentially harmful propaganda that can range from political views to fashion standards. Further studies done on the consequences of the shift to a digital society claim that the brains of young people are highly susceptible to reward and social acceptance, but also to rejection and not belonging.
Arguably, however, the social divide and need for belonging is an age old instinct, evident in human nature throughout history, regardless of the presence of technology and in teenagers it has always been significantly more prominent. Through teenage brain development studies, it is suggested the brain sensitivity to social acceptance is more a profitable causation of the problems arisen through social media rather than a consequence. Interestingly, I wonder if exposure to many view points — as the internet provides, allows for a more critically inclined generation. However, does this depend more on the individual and their usage of social media? The future is hard to predict, however, young people do grow up for better of for worse into less malleable adult brains. Though the negative statistics are hard to ignore or remain optimistic about.
So is it all worth it?
Better technology is still being pursued. It has been deemed valuable and useful enough, despite the drawbacks to keep on being developed. In fact, its potential is sold to us and its use is widely encouraged. It did not take an excessive search on the web to find a video, in actual fact, whole pages of videos to teach me how to market my dream business/product/service across multiple social media platforms, increasing the number of clicks and the frequency of it being suggested. To the world of online marketing in particular, individuals are reduced to numbers, statistics and patterns. It is becoming more evident that the power lies within ourselves to maintain a safe distance from the internet.
According to Roger Patulny an Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Wollongong, the effects depend on how it is used. Evidence claims for the elderly it has shown to decrease loneliness. Those that do not cling to social media as a replacement for in-person relationships but instead used it to add to the relationship found it the most beneficial. It seems as if the fault lies within the very nature of humanity, a timeless struggle for happiness and connection.
So is it all worth it?
Like the old saying goes
With great power, comes great responsibility.
And as we all navigate through this new digital age, we each hold the great responsibility of being ‘digital citizens’.
I admit critical thinking is not a skill that comes naturally to me. Say something with sincerity in your voice or add a couple of meaningful words and trademarked logos at the end of an email and it wont take much more for me to believe you. I am a magpie for anything interesting, beautiful or captivating and I can absorb things of those sorts as easily as if they were the pure sustenance of life.
Investigating the Digital Society course has been nothing short of fascinating. I have been effectively challenged and happily engaged with the content and discussions. With the freedom of thought and expression this module brought to my studies, reflecting on the topics addressed such as the impact it has had on our very identities and the environment around us has been eye opening.
Exploring my role in the networked world has allowed me to reflect on my choices and what I allow myself and those around me exposure to. Awareness of both the potential benefits and pitfalls of technology means decisions can be made more mindfully. A skill that will be absolutely necessary when faced with the overwhelming amounts of information exposure. It was a well organised and structured course with everything in one place. Similarly, medium is a great website, that myself being an engineering student, would not — at least for the near future — have ever discovered. The reads and topics across it would be ever entertaining and insightful.
Learning about how adapted and accustomed I am to the digital world around me was my favourite concept to investigate. Growing up in one of the busiest cities, I find it difficult to separate technology from every aspect of my life and being aware of this allows for a healthy awareness of the impact it has on my lifestyle and choices. Questioning how far is too far for a smart city? and where to next? Rumours of a future digital war, as technology becomes the next greatest power are not scenarios at the furthest stretch of imagination. And as the new and upcoming advancements of artificial intelligence take the world by storm, our ability to adapt depends on each of us as digital citizens.
As the module comes to a close I hope to both continue to write more posts myself using medium in the future and further develop the ability to apply critical thinking across many areas of my life. With the topics investigated and skills learnt, I feel equipped to adventure into the digital age.
