An era of mass digitalisation: should we fear the future?
Over the past few decades there has been an increase in trying to rapidly digitalise every aspect of the human experience. Are we heading in the right direction or have we gotten in over our head?
The digitalisation of social interaction and engagement
We live in a world where whatsapp and facebook have replaced letters and realtime conversations with friends. Although convenient and efficient; being able to reach anyone in the world almost instantly, this had led to increased feelings of isolation and loneliness. People often won’t make the effort to meet someone in person in favour of a call. This means that they can go days without having any real life personal contact and instead spend endless time on social media platforms.
In week 2, we learned that there was a shift from analogue forms of communication to digital and from the rest of the ‘digital citizens’ it was discovered that people liked this improved way of being able to communicate; perhaps this is because this is the society we know and grew up in. We have even assigned each platform a purpose; facebook now seems to be for family where as instagram is a way to catch up with friends. A study conducted in 2018 found that almost 70% of people catch up on social media before bed and in 2021 around 72% of people in the US admitted to using some form of social media.
We already have the internet, but what’s next?
From what we know but also what we have learned, the internet has all sorts of readily available information — from the American civil war to how to boil an egg. It transmits knowledge about brands, various cultures and their history and even DIY hacks. This may have created an over-reliance on its usage — and since anyone can write and publish anything, it can often be an unreliable source promoting a fake narrative lacking any factual validity.
The internet has facilitated the ease of a variety of different chores. One is now able to order groceries online while also booking a holiday or holding a meeting over zoom. This was especially critical during the covid-19 pandemic where everything was transferred remotely due to closures and government restrictions. But what’s next? how can this sector possibly become more advanced e.g. perhaps we will soon be able to order our robot around to do all the aforementioned — explained more explicitly in this archived post — instead of having to do it ourselves — something already witnessed in TV shows such as Humans.
Unfortunately, online anonymity has also inadvertently led to unwanted consequences. People can bully and abuse others without any fear of retribution since they are able to do so anonymously. This has also contributed to high suicide rates as the pestering can be relentless and unstoppable as finding the person responsible is sometimes like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Does technological advancement impact our ethics and sense of identity?
There is no concrete answer… On the one hand, an online presence/persona can be curated through social media; from photoshopped images, to altered information — one can easily create a version of who they want to be/ how they want to perceived as instead of showcasing their actual, true selves. This inauthenticity propagates false beliefs and notions towards other members of society which instils feelings of insecurity and inadequacy.
This has contributed to a rise in the development of mental health issues — primarily depression and anxiety. This is because people want to put out the best version of themselves — even if they are feeling totally empty and vulnerable inside. When people keep seeing how much ‘fun’ others are having or how pretty someone looks (even though the image might be altered) it creates a sense of worthlessness and standards of beauty that are not feasible or attainable.
As we have witnessed in week 6, it is very easy for things people say online to be misconstrued. People; especially celebrities, seem to forget that the whole world is watches and believes their every word leading to a lot of controversies. A popular example is rapper Kanye West who is notorious for tweeting and then deleting various opinions. The issue here is that the internet never forgets and it’s almost impossible to remove every trace of one’s badly thought out rants on the internet.
The rapid development and integration of sustainable technology into our daily routines
As humans we have the innate need to be useful, to derive some sort of utility from our daily actions. This however, has already started to change with AI as mentioned above. Now, it is thought that soon a lot of employment opportunities will be offered to robots rather than people, as they are more efficient, faster and cheaper, making workers redundant to societal development and leading to mass rates of unemployment. However, this is not yet true for jobs requiring intense knowledge and a particular skill set; emphasising the idea of a future collaboration between the 2 and encouraging people to invest in knowledge and their education to productively contribute to an economy of the future.
This holds true for infrastructure and a more sustainable environment. In smart cities, we observed how urbanisation has also led to technological innovation in terms of infrastructure e.g. sensored parking spaces and the creation of uber — to reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere from excessive car use. Automated technology also means that there is widespread use of CCTV to ensure the safety and security of citizens. This coupled with recent efforts to introduce mobile apps that record crime rates across the city promote an increased quality of life.
A personal reflection
This module has been a very informative one. I believe I have learned a lot about what it means to live in this relatively new digital age and how this impacts every aspect of my life. I initially chose this course because as an economist-in-training I wanted to understand how society shapes our everyday decisions and choices. This is especially relevant since everything seems to become more and more digital and technologically advanced.
The topics covered have made me constantly question how and why I use technology the way I do while simultaneously making me more inquisitive about my digital habits and the way I communicate and express myself online. Learning about identity and ethics has helped me realise that in order to be more content with myself I need to be more authentic and less curated about what I post. This will make me feel better and more fulfilled as I will start to appreciate the way I am and stop trying to morph myself into what people think I should be.
I have also gained an influx of knowledge regarding the dangers and risks associated with living a life online. It has made me appreciate being with people in real time that much more. I now understand that every discovery and improvement comes with benefits but also disadvantages. Therefore, I should be wary and cautious of the way I make use of new resources and technologies albeit how impressive they might seem.
I have learned a lot. I had to familiarise myself with writing in a more informal tone to accomodate for a blog post style of writing — in contrast to the more institutional and academic tone often required when writing formal essays focused on research. I was able to steer my posts towards a direction that interested me and kept me motivated. Writing posts on more contemporary topics surrounding areas that I engage with on a day to day basis meant I was more familiar with what I was trying to argue and writing became an easy and instantaneous process.
I am excited but also fearful about the future. The way digital has taken over is fascinating as it presents a whole range of new opportunities both in employment but also in the way we live and understand the world. The issue is that this digital era has not yet been around long enough for us to realise what negative consequences it might result in. On the other hand, I keep thinking that what is progress if not without failure — so even though there might be a few road bumps or ‘failures’ along the way it will hopefully be for good — towards a more progressive, sustainable, inclusive and exciting future. What are we if not human — always striving for a better tomorrow.
‘Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be’ Khalil Gibran
