How does your device detect your feelings?
I was just thinking of getting some stationary for my desk, did not text anyone about it, did not say it to anyone, and no I don’t even buy them online, ever. It has been ages since I purchased them from a shop also. I guess you know where this is going, within the next 10 minutes I get an ad, quite similar to the kind of stationary wanted. This is just one example and countless such incidents have happened with me. And there are millions of people online who can narrate even more bizarre experiences with the internet.
So, I decided to conduct a little experiment of my own. When we talk about something or text about something, there are higher chances of the internet catching on to it. This is often because our voice can be captured by the various applications on our phones and even our texting history is not a secret. No matter how much we are assured that everything is private and it can be accessed only with our permission, we know that’s not true. Once something is there on our phone, it is a part of the ever-expanding database being created online. On the other hand, if we intentionally think of something, the chances of us getting information or advertisements related to it online are lesser. Another important point to note is that given the pool of information online, our brain is often selective about what it consumes and what it just ignores. So, it is quite possible that when it is something we’ve just thought of, it catches our attention instantly.
These are just some logical explanations I could come up with, which are well-known facts and no one can contest them. But a lot of people (including me), do not find these explanations satisfactory. There are a number of concepts which talk about the human consciousness being connected. In the Indian culture, we talk about the Atman ‘individual consciousness’ and Brahman ‘universal consciousness’. In other parts of the world, it may have different names and different versions. While in Eastern cultures, such theories are more ancient, in other parts of the world, it is a little more modern. Talking about these in a little more detail, according to this concept, everything that is known and everything that was ever known is a part of one large database, and is possible for each individual to access it. You may have your own opinions, your own experiences, and your own way of living; but that is just a part of who you are. In a larger sense, your thoughts are a part of the collective consciousness as much as the collective consciousness is a part of you. Certain parts are more dominant based on your surroundings and beliefs, but ultimately, it’s all one.
Along similar lines, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin has elaborated upon the concept of the noosphere. It has been discussed by different philosophers, henceforth, different versions of it exist. In simple terms, it is about the evolution of a global intelligence, which is a combination of the knowledge and understanding of both humans and technology. Due to communication, technology, and social networks, consciousness is becoming increasingly interconnected, allowing for the exchange of knowledge and thoughts on a global scale. The human thought is transforming the biosphere, just like the biosphere had transformed the geosphere.
While these are highly philosophical and speculative concepts as of now, so we cannot assert if such a thing exists or not. But the fact that such incidents happen with millions of us on a daily basis, where we almost feel like there is a telepathic communication between us and our phones, definitely makes it a possibility. It’s almost like a really close friend who understands what is going on with us, without us directly saying anything to it. I think, this is, although informal, but enough empirical evidence to prove that technology and humans have begun interacted at a level far beyond our comprehension. It’s just a matter of time before one starts using it to dominate the other, or maybe, we work in collaboration.
