Why did the computer need a psychiatrist?
Because it was suffering from communication glitchosis!
Introduction
As one of the 20th century’s biggest phenomena, technology and social media have taken over the world and is here to stay. It has slowly but surely integrated itself into our lives to a point where we cannot live without it. According to Statista, 4.83 billion people are expected to use social media by the end of 2023. As we already know there is a major difference between analogue and digital engagement however with the introduction of a new digital world the lines between the two are becoming blurred. The internet has had a revolutionary impact with the way we communicate with others, however, is it for better or worse?
Pixel- perfect version of ourselves or not
Above all, social media acts as a medium of escape by allowing us to create an idealistic version of ourselves online. With the touch of a button the bane of our existences can turn from mundane to stimulating. Although this can help alleviate the stress we may feel offline, it is important to not allow this to consume us. Li makes the point that the ability to split our personalities across different platforms feeds the unhealthy addiction of wanting to fit in with all groups and cultures. It is important to also note how our identity differs from our online ones. To ourselves our identity encompasses our beliefs and values. It is crucial to help navigate the world however our digital identities may be reduced to just a profile picture or username to others. On social platforms the pervasive urge to compete with others often leads to dehumanisation. Malet highlights how communication with others has turned into a competition where we compete with other accounts to get the most likes over achievements and appearances.
Let’s be honest, have we ever left an unjustified troll comment out of spite or jealousy? Even though we’d never say such a thing in person it is clear that on the internet it is easier to act as such because these aren’t “real” people we are trolling but just usernames, right…
Shaping our ethics
Since we now have a greater social space, where we can talk to likeminded people who we normally couldn’t have, all across the globe, we have been given the opportunity to join communities where we feel welcome to express our true selves and emotions freely. Due to the ‘unique anonymity’ of the internet, people can also hide certain aspects of themselves to attain a less biased evaluation of their thoughts. On one hand, this can be advantageous as it avoids prejudice however it can magnify the aggression in human nature. Due to the nature of anonymity, people can act in immoral and commonly socially unacceptable ways whilst still seeing themselves as ethically correct. This is because it allows people to avoid the consequences of their actions. This can lead to a diffusion of responsibility whereby self-awareness is decreased. Since there is no one holding the offline version of themselves accountable, it is easy to engage in antisocial behaviour as people believe their behaviour is ‘masked’ and somewhat dissociated. This is an example of how the digital world exacerbates the issue of the worsening quality of online communication compared to analogue face-to-face engagement.
It is clear that the technology causes us to deviate from our morals and ethics. Due to the competitive nature of the digital world to be the next trending topic, as digital citizens our focus is pushed towards scandals or the controversy of the day. We have been conditioned to believe “cancel culture” is a suitable repercussion but the bottom line is that is just facilitates the opportunity to publicly humiliate and shun people for doing something somebody else interprets as unfavourable. Whether the act in question is right or wrong doesn’t matter anymore, only what moral language is used to describe it and whether the response is blame or praise. Chrissy Teign opened up about how she suffered from depression after she became a victim of cancelling which turned into ruthless bullying as she felt ostracized rather than educated on her wrongdoings. This plethora of advice exercising moral justification without critical review and ‘social media’s mob rule’ is a harmful to the younger generations. How can we expect them to communicate their unsavoury feelings towards one another in the future?
Imagination, Innovation, Immersion
As with any new technology in the digital world, the metaverse has potential negative impacts on how society communicates with one another. A popular concern is that it will limit the need for physical interactions which in turn leads people to become too absorbed into the virtual world. Expectedly people may start to disconnect from their real-world problems and relationships and socially isolate. However, the metaverse can also enhance social interactions. Since it enables ‘seamless embodied user communication in real time’ it provides greater accessibility than other types of technology. People with any disabilities are given a platform where they can connect and participate in social interactions in a way that’s not possible in the physical world. The use of avatars and other forms of self- expression creates a ‘sense of presence’ which cannot be obtained from other forms of online communication. This can be more positive for mental health and social well-being when using social media.
Work in the Virtual World
Horizons Workrooms and Tangle are examples of VR and non-VR workspaces that pride themselves on being immersive and easily accessible. Many people argue that this type of metaverse can enhance face-to-face communication skills. This is because you can experiment with different interaction skills such as gestures, face expressions and transfer these to real world interactions. It is promised that these metaverses will develop the world of work by prompting higher levels of collaboration, productivity, creativity and reduce feelings of isolation from remote and hybrid working. It makes us think, are the lines between analogue and digital communication blurring?
Conclusion
It is true that social media has penetrated every aspect of our lives but is that necessarily a bad thing? We can now invariably communicate with others faster and easier through social media and virtual reality platforms. The metaverse has revolutionised the way we socialise with others as you can participate in more interactive and dynamic meetings with colleagues from home without the limitations created with digital engagement. Overall my view of the implications of living in the digital world is that of prudent positivity. Technology seems to have allowed for a smoother interaction between the digital and real world but has come at the cost of eroding our natural human qualities and distorting how we communicate with another?
Reflection
This module consisted of 8 interconnected topics discussing the implications of technology and the digital society in various lights. The multifarious topics kept me hooked and thinking about how my online presence as an economist is important. The use of contribution boxes allowed me to interact with other students in ways I haven’t before. Reading through other people’s viewpoints was interesting to me since I could compare them against my own.
One skill I enjoyed developing was writing informally in a way that was creative while still being informative so that I could still critically analyse and engage an online audience simultaneously. I really enjoyed the flexibility and asynchronous nature of the module because I was able to work at my own pace, however it was challenging to stay disciplined and do each topic weekly. Although the platform Medium took ‘the feeling of work’ out of our assignments and made it easy to express my thoughts, I felt becoming accustomed to the blog style format was harder than I imagined it to be. Nevertheless, I appreciated how we were given the opportunity to reveal our own personalities in each post by adding photos, videos and choosing what we want themes and topics we wrote about. It was quite refreshing and felt more personal to the rigid structure I am used to on my course. Having each assignment posted public where other students could access it felt daunting however it forced me to continuously produce each piece of work to the highest of quality; I feel like I can carry this mindset to all my other work.
As an Economics student, the chance to explore an entirely new module with a different approach to application and analysis was enticing. Previously, I had never thought about what it takes to have an online presence, let alone that I engage with technology in majority of my daily interactions. I mostly believed being in a digital society meant using social media but through the platform Medium I was able to extend my understanding in a stimulating way. Covering the topic of the individual, identity and ethics raised my attention to the responsibility we have as digital citizens to be mindful of our online behaviour. With the impact of technology on social interactions I think we have a responsibility to create a new set of norms and expectations of how people should behave towards one another to ensure we are showing mutual respect to one another and continue to view our identities in a positive light.
The future seems to increasingly rely on technology to dangerous levels. This course unit has redirected my attention towards the economic result of the technological advancements, such as the digital divide, and how this will shape our day to day lives. Going forward I will continue to be critical about the pros and cons that come as a by-product of this and how to adapt to them.
