Technology Through The Eyes Of Hindi Writers

Speculating The Role Of Language In The Conceptualization Of The Human-Technology Relationship In Hindi Literature

Introduction

In this article, we attempt to unpack the conceptualization of humans, computing technology and their relationship, in Hindi literature, after which, we speculate about the role that the language plays in shaping this conceptualization. When scouting for Hindi articles and papers about the relationship of humans with computing technology, we chose three articles that talked about three different aspects of this relationship — impact of technology on human health, evolution of entertainment due to technological development, and the future possibilities in the field of technology.

Conceptualization Of Humans

We found that, in the three articles we analysed, humans were talked about in three different time zones — humans in the past, humans today, and humans of the future. Humans of the past were described as social creatures, who enjoyed each other’s company and often gathered in groups to share and encourage one another’s talents. For example, in earlier days, Chaupal was a village gathering where people showcased various art forms like singing and dancing. Humans of the past, both children and adults, indulged in outdoor games and sports and were health conscious. The health show on Doordarshan was apparently a favourite among many people. The humans of today, as portrayed by the three articles, are very different. They are people who have grown so dependent on technology that they ignore the ill effects on their health caused by the excessive use of that very technology. They prefer to connect with one another through social media platforms and prefer to watch a sport on a screen rather than go out and play it. The literature talks about today’s children as experts of technology, who unfortunately spend most of their time playing video games. The humans of the future, in light of the three articles, are pictured as characters from science-fiction movies, who talk to machines and leave holographic messages for each other. There is also mention of people using brain signal monitoring technology to get things done without having to move around.

Conceptualization of Technology

In the scope of the three articles, technology is omnipresent and technological advancement is inevitable. The literature talks about technology as something that has made its way into all aspects of human life. It portrayed the evolution of technology as the driving force behind the evolution of entertainment. It also implied that this evolution brought about changes in society. Based on what we read, Technology is conceptualized as an entity in itself rather than a tool that humans use. For example, the FAIR (Facebook Artificial Intelligence Research) Project was described as a technology that started learning so well that within a few months it created its own language. The project was shut down due to the fear of the potential harm it could cause to humans. Technology is depicted as something that humans cannot do without, but also as something that humans do not want to be dominated by. A lot of the futuristic technology like holograph and teleportation is viewed through the lens of science-fiction movies. But, there is an optimistic thought that these technological concepts will very soon turn into reality.

Conceptualization of the Human-Technology Relationship

The three articles stitch together the evolutionary journey of the human-technology relationship. In the past, technology was scarce and used for specific needs, like to watch the health show on Doordarshan. But now, considering the omnipresent nature of technology, it has found its place in every aspect of our daily life. The literature describes how we take our smartphones to bed with us and they are the first things we interact with when we wake up. It also brings out the fact that social media was intended to keep people connected, but in the present day, social media quarrels are tearing people apart. In our opinion, the space and time that used to be occupied by human-human interaction has be encroached on by the human-technology interaction.

Role Of Hindi As A Language In This Conceptualization

When searching for Hindi literature about the human-technology relationship, we came across many opinion pieces, but could not find any published research papers that articulated this relationship. The knowledge they provided was not sufficient for the reader to gain an in-depth understanding of the subject matter. This led us to believe that maybe there are not enough technology experts writing about the human-technology relationship in Hindi, or maybe the material written in Hindi is not as easily available as the material written in English. Many words in these articles, both technological and non-technological, were direct translations and transliterations of their English counterparts. We think this may have been because the authors who wrote them may not have been sufficiently proficient in Hindi, or maybe they were trying not to use purely Hindi terms in order to make it simpler for the readers to understand the article. Maybe not every Hindi speaking/reading person is aware of the Hindi words for technological terms. But, wouldn’t this makes the content difficult to interpret for people who are not familiar with the English terms?

Conclusion

In our opinion, technological advantage has for ages been a measure of superiority. Owing to the fact that most technology was available only in English, the English-speaking audience was considered to be elite. However, that is no longer true. Indians are waking up to the fact that they can access many digital technologies in Hindi and other languages. We believe that this narrows the gap between the English-speaking and the non-English-speaking crowd in terms of access to technology. Nearly 425 million people speak Hindi as a first language. This is why we think that Hindi as a language has the power not just to enable the Hindi-speaking audience to engage with technology, but if used appropriately, it can also provide technology related content for people to grow their understanding of the subject matter.

Co Authors : Neha Shenoy, Simran Mehta, Asawari Khire