Are we there yet? Humans and the digital world, where to next?
There is a quote (that of course I couldn’t find) that says we now learn more in a day than our ancestors did in a lifetime. While this probably isn’t exactly true, it sparked a train of thought in my mind: biologically we may have ceased to change but our evolution continues through human knowledge, ambition and genius, that -
our future is inextricably tied with our own creation: technology and the digital world.
Okay, so maybe I have over generalised there whilst trying to make my opening statement succinct. In terms of evolution, well, we may actually still be evolving. With a quick peruse of Wikipedia to get my bearings on the academic landscape around human evolution, it seems understood that the ‘behavioural modernity’ that characterises modern humans came about 50,000 years ago. Theoretically, if a pre-palaeolithic homo-sapien was transported to modern times, they would be no less intelligent than us, as our ‘genome’ has remained functionally the same for over 50 millennia. What constitutes our definition of a ‘modern human’ isn’t a difference in brain power to our cave dwelling ancestors, but human constructions of shared knowledge and technology.
While other animals have shared knowledge, like the desert and savanna dwelling elephants of Africa who do not have genetic differences but rather separate multi-generational information, what makes humans unique is using this ability to raise our species above that of other animals. We create tools, shelter, technology, all for our survival and comfort. We establish and agree upon sets of rules and systems that we then call civilisation.
Civilisation, which is now in its next step of development — digitisation.
We live in an ever digital world, whether we like it or not. Every aspect of our life is now digitised — school, work, pleasure. While this screen-orientated world can seem unnatural and overbearing, it is clear from recent events is that they allow for society to continue in the face of adversity.
At the time of writing, the United Kingdom is well into its second month of lockdown due to COVID-19 and yet, strangely, society almost seems to be still tangible in some ways. Employees have been doing their work, children have been having PE lessons, TV shows have been produced and aired — I personally have been attending university lectures like many other students. Perhaps the great thing about a digital society is that it is digital and can be accessed from anywhere.
Our digitised society, pervades into all facets of our daily lives, allows for a continuation of a norm despite individuals being physically distant. It’s quite peculiar that you can still take part in a pub quiz during a international pandemic, as people have been doing on Zoom or watching a live stream on Twitch with thousands of other participants. What the current situation has made many realise is just how much we rely on technology (now more so than usual), but also how much this said technology allows for us to continue our digital-centric life.
Returning to my opening statement, that the “our future is inexplicably tied with our own creation: technology and the digital world”, it is evident from the lockdown world how much, the UK at least (as well as many other first world nations), is digitised and reliant upon technology. Maybe the difference between us as modern humans and our forebearers, isn’t a biological transformation, it is the inventions that surround us, and our embracing/comprehension of them.
In a post-lockdown world people will reconnect with lost liberties, social gatherings, intimacy, shared spaces, animal instincts lost due to a strenuous circumstance. However, what has now been revealed is the possibility of an entirely digital society. How it is possible for us to exist in our own spaces without a physical connection. For many, this is hell, a purgatory of one’s own thoughts, a limbo between existence and non-existence. Yet for some, this imposed isolation has been a haven that mirrors their ideal state of actuality. Like the Japanese ‘Hikikomori’, a reclusive sub-section of the population who choose to socially exclude themselves from normal society, an estimated 500,000 of who exist.
The question is: in what way the human race will move forward in post-COVID-19 world? Will we shortly enjoy the freedoms we once missed, only to return to our previous states of being, once again taking it all for granted? For the rest of our lives will we never forget the privilege we now have, remembering back to lockdown lives, like freed prisoners? Will we unknowingly leave behind some who prefer this incarcerated lifestyle?
There are large scale societal implications to our digitised society and our realisation of it. How will things look beyond lockdown? Our lives revolve around systems of those previous, creations that we now know have a huge prevalence in our lives — but maybe shouldn’t. If I am an office worker who must complete financial reports on a computer, why must I go to a designated building to do so? I have the same technology at home, why must I wake up early and commute to do the same work, but just in a different location? This has led some to predict radical changes to come, hypothesising that maybe office workers will cease to have offices.
Civilisation goes through different stages, each one a development upon the last, reflecting and changing to realisations and advancements. How will civilisation adapt to the digital world we have created for ourselves? COVID-19 has provided a forceful reflection upon this reality we have constructed, tearing down the walls of long standing lifestyle traditions, and displaying the possibility of an entirely digital world. It is however important to note that I have neglected to mention all those who have been continuing as normal, like key workers and other service providers. Despite this, the increasing presence of Artificial Intelligence and automation it is hard to predict how long they will require a human.
The question I am raising and pondering through this blog post, is where next do we go. How long until we become the humans depicted in Wall-E: oblivious to their surroundings, consumerist, and attached to their screens… or are we already there?
Reflecting on ‘digital society’ at the University of Manchester
As a Drama and Screen studies student I have a lack of experience in other more, let’s say, real world issues and contemporary discussions around non theoretical based studies. Most of my higher education has involved looking at plays and films, theories around them, with some practical involved.
This semester I decided to take the opportunity to try something new and enrolled to two UCIL modules, Digital Society and AI: robot overlord, replacement, or colleague?, both of which are beyond my usual skill set. I took them as a chance to broaden my scope of learning and to bolster my understanding of a world I will be seeking employment in.
At the start of the course we were asked to send an email to ourselves using futureme.com, as a way to reflect upon our expectations at the start of the course and how/if our thoughts developed on digital society.
In response to the question ‘How do you define ‘digital society’ (there’s not wrong answer?’ I said:
I would say that digital society is a key aspect of modern society, in that with a huge amount of communication, culture, entertainment and learning taking place online — that digital society is a society in itself.
I would disagree with this statement, or rather move it around a bit. Digital society isn’t an ‘aspect’ of modern society, I would say it is modern society. That while there a digital societies within society, as a whole we are a digital society.
The course has helped my understanding of different topics like Smart Cities and the Ethics involved with the internet. Being tasked with writing different styles of blog post has made me work on my informal, creative writing skills that I don’t normally get to practice.
Working through this course in tandem with the Artificial Intelligence focused one has also made me consider my future employment. The most recent topic by Helen discussing our employability in a digital future ties into an essay I had to write about the deployment of AI in one sector. I decided to look at media, as it reflects my ideal future job area, and was surprised by the huge possibilities of traditionally creative jobs under threat from automation.
Creativity is seen as an intrinsically human aspect, yet Netflix is already using AI at every stage of production, including content acquisition and creation. It is already understood that an attractive job in media is hard to achieve, I wonder how it is competing against your robot counterpart for employment in this sector, I guess I will find out.
