The Implications of Living in a Digital World
Imagine walking into a coffee shop and noticing that nearly every table is occupied by someone typing away on their laptop. As you approach the counter you notice people paying for their drinks by tapping their phones. Later, on your tram home, you can’t help but notice almost every other passenger is shutting themselves off from the world with their headphones in.
Sound familiar?
It’s no secret that we’re living in an increasingly digital world. We now rely on technology more than ever with our devices revolutionising the way we live, work, communicate, and stay entertained. However, while technology has brought many benefits to our lives, it has also raised privacy and security concerns, particularly with regard to the surveillance of our online activity.
Internet of Things
Internet of Things (IoT) is the concept of everyday physical objects being connected to the internet, enabling them to send and receive data. IoT devices have developed over the years from smart thermostats which adjust your room temperature based on your habits to egg trays that remind you when your running low. It’s safe to say there isn't much nowadays which hasn't been developed into a “smart” device. In all seriousness smart home devices have brought many benefits to people's lives and the accessibility of this technology has meant it’s become more available to those who need them most.
Home automation devices which can turn on your lights, open your curtains and control your room temperature have been adopted by many for their convenience, but they particularly help people with disabilities. All of these smart home devices can be connected to a voice-controlled smart speaker which gives people with mobility difficulties more independence as they aren't relying on the assistance of others. Although these products have provided great benefits to those with physical disabilities, they aren’t necessarily designed for this. However, research has been conducted in this field to design systems which better utilise smart devices for a person with physical disabilities in a way which requires minimal exertion. Fellow Digital Society student Taidgh also commented on how Amazon’s Alexa is “giving power and control back to those in need”, with trials showing promising results that Alexa can be used to help older populations.
Despite the benefits of these smart home devices, there are privacy implications that people should be aware of. Amazon launched their range of Echo smart speakers in 2014 and has seen huge success, becoming the most popular smart home device in the UK. With an estimated 200 million devices using Alexa out in the world, how many of these consumers do you think knew Alexa was recording them even when not actively speaking to it?
Yes, that’s right, a consumer in the US who installed Echo devices and smart bulbs in every room of her house experienced her private conversations being recorded and sent to her contacts. This incident highlights the importance of privacy and data protection issues with smart devices. Although what Amazon are doing may feel unethical it is our job as digital citizens to read the terms and conditions to ensure we don’t sign up for something we’re not comfortable with. As let’s be honest, do you read the full list of terms and conditions?
However, it was announced recently that Amazon is set to lose 10 billion dollars from Alexa products, there is a multitude of reasons for this, including laying off staff. Nevertheless, these privacy incidents won’t have helped their reputation and perhaps consumers are becoming more aware of the privacy implications of living in a digital world. I certainly wouldn’t want to use my Echo device after hearing that.
Engagement
In the past the only way to engage with others was in person, this can be referred to as physical or analogue engagement because since then advancements in technology have allowed us to communicate with others online. This digital engagement has become increasingly popular in recent years, especially since COVID-19, which disrupted and transformed the way we communicate. As a result, businesses utilised technology that allows employees to work from home and this has continued despite restrictions being lifted. In the UK 28% of employees now work hybrid, which is a mix of working from home and going into the office. Remote working provides many benefits to employees including a better work-life balance, less commuting time and potentially more productivity. However, is remote working really the future, or are we sacrificing human connection for the sake of convenience?
A number of studies have investigated both the physical and mental health of employees working from home, the findings show without regular communication with colleagues an employee will feel isolated. According to a survey conducted in the UK, 80% of people who worked from home experienced a negative impact on their mental health as a result. These findings show further implications of living in the digital world. However, it is possible that companies have taken these ethical considerations into account as the percentage of fully remote workers decreased from 22% in February to 14% in May 2022. I believe that employees shouldn’t solely work from home as they won’t have much communication with anyone unless they have plenty of online meetings. In contrast, hybrid working could act as a good balance between gaining the benefits from remote working and experiencing invaluable interactions with your colleagues.
Reflection
Description: I have always been interested in how technology affects our lives and have chosen IT courses throughout my entire academic life. I picked to study Digital Society as it was an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the effects living in a digital world has on us. At the start of the course I was tasked to answer some questions for my Future Self to see, I recently reviewed these answers and found it really interesting to look back at my previous thoughts. When asked three months ago how I felt about ‘digital society’ I answered…
I feel digital society is interesting as it’s a relatively new phenomenon, everyone relies so heavily on technology and because it’s so unprecedented, does it actually have a long-term positive affect on us?
Feelings: Having now completed the Digital Society course, I still agree with my statement but I am pleased to have gained a better understanding of the topic and help answer my own question on whether living in a digital world has a positive effect on us. I have learned about the many positives technology has brought to so many lives, including increased accessibility for those with disabilities. However, I also learned there are many negatives from living in a digital world, including the decline of people's mental health.
Evaluation: It is difficult to say whether living in a digital world has more positives or negatives, but striking a balance between utilizing technology’s benefits and being mindful of its drawbacks is crucial for living in a healthy and sustainable digital society. My thoughts however have changed in regard to the responsibilities of large organisations and for us as digital citizens. I believe businesses have a responsibility to be more transparent on how they use customer data, for example, the controversy surrounding TikTok’s use of personal information which has led to the app being banned in certain countries and now from those who work in UK parliament. I also think as individuals we have a responsibility to be aware of the consequences of our online actions, especially when sharing personal information. This is an area in which before completing this course I didn't have much consideration for.
Analysis: Having learnt a variety of topics within digital society including chatbots, simulated spaces and the ones I have evaluated in this blog. I now have an improved understanding of these subject areas, particularly ones which I hadn't previously considered, such as smart cities. I also enjoyed analysing each week on the ‘Prepare and Reflect’ document as it prompted me to reflect on how often I encounter the topics in my daily life. It was surprising to see how relevant they all were and how much I overlook certain technological advancements in our society. One last aspect of the course I enjoyed was writing in a blog format which was new to me as I typically write formal essays. At the start, this did take some getting used to but using the feedback I received from Digiscoc 1 to improve how I reference and use images, I now greatly appreciate the opportunity to write assessments in a more creative style.
Conclusion: From studying this course I have gained insight into different subject matters about living in a digital world, but also knowledge on other topic areas from reading articles outside of Digital Society on Medium. I had never used the website before undertaking this course and am so pleased I now do because I have learnt about lots of interesting topics which I wouldn’t have otherwise encountered.
Action Plan: Going into the future I am going to continue exploring the impact of technology on our society and intend to be a more responsible digital citizen, through taking steps to protect my personal data. I will take what I have learnt about critical writing into further studies as I now know the importance of using this technique to evaluate information. Lastly, I am going to continue reading articles on medium as this has become a valuable way to discover interesting topics and expand my knowledge on a variety of subjects.
