The deeper meaning of living in a ‘Digital Society’
On the face of it, one might think we’re in a digital society because of how much we use technology. Our phones, laptops, gaming consoles and more. Just how many hours are we spending on these devices? But that's not all. Essentially, our whole life is spent in this digital world and it influences every part of our life- unconsciously and consciously. Even when we’re not directly interacting within a digital space, our identities lie within it. It’s no secret that this has made our lives easier and has created so many new possibilities, but are we really benefitting from this new highly digitalised reality? From privacy risks to digital exploitation, the world of tech we live in isn’t all positives.
Smart Cities
When you hear the word ‘future’ its likely that you think about a society where technology has taken over, a society with flying cars, robots, huge buildings and many more. As much as this is pure imagination, what if I told you that something like this is in fact a possibility (minus the flying cars…for now). The development of smart cities uses ICT functions to improve operational efficiency and allow information to be shared with the population. This includes having infrastructure that heavily operates through the use of technology as well as technology being widely used by the public in their day to day lives.
From smart buildings that have automated structural health monitoring to internet enabled rubbish-collection services, smart cities are the future. Smart cities sound like a utopia where all needs are met in the nmost efficient way possible. The benefits are huge, including creating safe communities where crime rates are lowered through much more developed and connected emergency services facilities. This is already evident in the City of Detroit- where they have a partnership with local business where a cloud-based video platform has been developed to give police access to security footage in real time. As a result, crime rates have dropped 50% in these areas.
This may sound great on the face of it- technology use for a better, quicker and more efficient life. However, there are many problems that come with the complex idea of smart cities. Transportation is a big thing in society and improving infrastructure through the creation of intelligent vehiucles is just one component of smart cities, however this comes with challenges. Sustainability in intelligent vehicles is a difficult task as vehicles must be green and not hinder the environment while being a smart and effective alternative to regular transport. A comparative statistical analysis has shown that the use autonomous vehicles are the most suitable smart transport in terms of green transportation however lack the effective functional use ‘smart’ transportation must have- such as inefficient battery power, underdeveloped AI for road traffic safety and power management.
Along with the fancy security systems comes a real concern for privacy. Smart systems can be subject to much more attacks. Smart systems can be subject to much more attacks. For example, in 2015, almost 230 citizens in Ukraine were hit with a prolonged period of electricty disconnection due to a group of hackers. Due to the limited computional power most smart systems have, complex protection methods cant be used creating an even bigger risk for hackings.
-Bill Gates
Generally speaking, smart cities can really improve the quality of life for society by making our lives safer, easier and much more connected. A sustainable yet technologically developed society is something we can only dream of right now, but in reality it may be closer than we know. But, with privacy being a big issue, it poses the question of how can technology keep up and mitigate these security risks?
Simulated spaces
What is a digital society without a digital reality? Simulated spaces create an escape into a digital world- where the rules of reality don’t apply and you are immersed into a new world. A common example of this is virtual reality (VR). Inside one headset lies a world of possibilities where the user is immersed fully and all senses are simulated in this virtual world- ultimately creating a whole new reality. It’s creation is much more practical than just looking cool, as there are already many industries that have started implementing it such as:
As well as many more.
VR has already seen successful in the medical industry amongst rehabilitators where its application can be used for both a simulation tool and a practical tool to promote recovery. An extensive review of studies that measured the effectiveness of VR in paediatric rehabilitation showed that VR is an effective alternative to traditional methods for disorders like cerebral palsy because of the increased engagement and immersive qualities that VR has to help patients. Along with the health sector, VR is improving lives in many sectors, and may be common addition to our lives one day.
However, simulated spaces come with the problem of exclusion and inaccessibility. Azariah- a peer on the Digital Society unit articulates the problem perfectly, explaining that as the VR and AR (augmented reality) industries grow this just creates a gap between developing countries and developed countries- where they have already made drastic improvements due to globalisation. The growth of developing countries can be attributed to the shift from an agricultural focus to manufacturing, however with the tech sector growing rapidly the ICT sector’s contribution to Europes GDP has doubled since 2002- and has grown more than 25% in the last 5 years showing the influence of tech on developed countries growth is only fastening.
Self reflection
When I first saw this module amongst other UCIL courses it was almost a no brainer to choose it. As someone who has always been interested in technology this was a way to learn deeper about an interest I have asides from my university course. As a young adult who is living in a time where the advancement of technology is exceptional, I also see it as a responsibility to know about the implications of this new digital realm we are currently living in. To say the least, this module has made me more than aware about the implications of this digital world we have found ourselves in.
The topic I was most interested in the unit is smart cities for many reasons. The stereotypical futuristic city shown in movies where the most ridiculous and developed technology takes over society is something that may actually be true one day. This fascinated me and made me realise technology can’t be underestimated. As a young adult it is already evident to me how far the digital world has come in my short lifetime, so learning about the possibilities of the future amazes me to say the least and it is definitely a topic I will look into further.
Challenges: Once starting the unit I was met with new challenges that I overcame and grew to love as the unit developed. This included writing in a blog style format which is definitely a format I wasn’t used to in past assessed work however I thoroughly enjoyed this change. It allowed me to express ideas in a way I wasn’t used to- through the use of rhetoric's, humour and informal language, I was able to develop a new writing style I never had the chance to write in. This has definitely made me more open to interact with blog sites in general, medium included where I can express views and opinions in a way that is enjoyable yet informative. This ties in with something else I struggled with in Digisoc 1 and 2- using academic sources. Due to the writing style being more informal I assumed attention was taken away from the credibility of sources. However, I was mistaken and after taking on feedback I recognize that regardless of writing style- sources used should always have the utmost credibility. Another challenge I was met with upon starting the unit was the difference in academic referencing styles with both text and pictures. Being more attentive to the pictures you use in terms of their copyright policies and licensing is something I wasn't used to, and taking on feedback from both Digisoc 1 and 2 that is something I have been mindful of and will stick with me through my time at University and after.
Outcomes: I have gained lots of skills while undertaking the unit such as critical thinking and evaluation which has been one of the most useful parts of the course for me. Especially for such a broad topic like digital society where there is so much information, it was hard to recognise potential disadvantages to the digital world we live in when this is all we know. Looking deeper and analysing topics from another perspective is something I have developed in this unit and something I will carry on doing for the future.
