The Digital World – Friend or Foe of Human Progress?

After catching up with everyone after my year abroad, I am getting constant questions. What was it like? Where were you? What did you do? I find it difficult to answer these questions. Too much occurred to summarise it in words.  Instead, I find myself reaching for my phone and showing these people photos I believe  best summarise the 2000-person beachside Italian town I spent the better part of the year. As I watch their face light up, nodding at the phone, an old idiom occurs to me: a picture tells a thousand words.

But does it? I am sure the words are there inside me; I am a writer after all. I wonder, by continuously vetoing a verbal explanation to instead show pictures, am I reducing my skill to explain, to form and concisely express an opinion about something? Sure, pictures serve a purpose in the way they accurately depict the aesthetic of the place, but they do not communicate my personal experience – pictures can’t describe the fresh feel of the coastal breeze on my face, the sweet bitterness of the coffee, the joy I found in the lifestyle of a sleepy little town. But I think this what the people around me are asking after: what was my impression, what were my takeaways? If so, words, not pictures, are essential to deliver the full story though many of us today are reluctant to try and find the right ones.

It’s easier and more convenient to delegate to our smart devices.

There is no denying it is easier (less mental effort is required) to show a picture to someone than it is to describe it. Along with opting out of descriptions and detail with photo flashing, there are many other mentally strenuous tasks we have become perhaps a little too comfortable delegating to digital assistant devices like smartphones and smart homes. This can be seen in the way spell check corrects our mistakes in online communication, calculators compute math, reminders and calendar apps maintain our schedule, and Google answers just about everything one could want to know about anything. While these tools are designed to simplify our day-to-day lives and maximise productivity, they also down-skill us in some rather important areas. Simple math isn’t tackled, a grammatically correct sentence remains murky and our capacity to remember basic items on a list may be dramatically and negatively impacted. It has even been found that deferring to Google Maps and GPS has reduced our spatial awareness and mental mapping capacities. In this way, it is valid to ask the question: is easier? Might technology be inhibiting us from unlocking our full potential? Or worse yet: making us dumber?

New technologies are killing opportunities for spontaneous exercise

Reduced mental effort is only one of the ways experts warn technology is making humans lazier. Around me, I increasingly observe technology automate what were previously quick and easy manual tasks. This is as strange as it is problematic. We are excited by self-sufficient vacuum cleaners, self-driving cars, and voice assistance that turn out the lights or open the blinds for us so we can remain in bed a moment longer. These are all implicit ways technology kills opportunities for spontaneous exercise and fosters laziness. The explicit flow on effects of our technological age is not so subtle. The rise of streaming devices and the addictive nature of social media means that with the spare time the automated technology affords, many of us are not using it to get up, about and outside but instead to spend longer sedentary and engaging with screens. It is not news that a sedentary lifestyle is positively associated with health problems, namely: obesity, muscle decay, and cardiovascular disease.

Our work is streamlined but we are now constantly tethered.

Another growing area of concern is one I have engaged in today as I type these words out on this page. When it comes to the workplace, technology has certainly streamlined the way we work as we now enjoy portability and flexibility. However, this is a double-edged sword as our workspace (laptop, smartphone and anywhere our body happens to be sitting), blurs the boundaries between working life and personal life. For example, the browser I use for work is also the browser I use for studying, socialising, watching a movie, reading an online magazine, and shopping. I believe I am not the only one who succumbs to the temptation of tab-opening and browsing material that is irrelevant to my work or study. The impermanence of our devices may feel like it gives us greater flexibility and autonomy when it comes to work, but research shows it is really leading to greater procrastination which in turn impacts our productivity, as well as lower levels of focus. 

Genuine connections are forged face-to-face, not online.

Finally, technology’s biggest drawcard claims it has facilitated greater connection between individuals, thus mitigating loneliness, but experts warn technology has made us lazy interpersonally. While it may be easier to connect virtually, it is not always authentic. Constantly having our devices at arm’s reach means we feel obliged to check and respond immediately. When we de-prioritise face-to-face interactions, we lose the opportunity to forge genuine connections. Distraction, reduced attention, anxiety, and reduced productivity are the products of being constantly tethered in this way.

Check-in with your relationship with technology, how much do you rely on it?

There is no denying technology has improved aspects of our personal, social, and professional lives. However, its widespread popularity and uptake have become invasive in our lives. We need to check our relationship with our devices because they could be promoting laziness, complacency, or hampering our productivity. Psychologists today are vocal about technology health and fluency. This involves a series of personal efforts to mitigate the potential laziness and reduced cognitive functioning embedded in today’s technological landscape. Some tips include:

1. Set Boundaries

   Set boundaries like specific periods and specific spaces during the day where you unplug and put away your devices. Consciously consider whether a certain task or activity honestly requires the presence of technology. Leave it in the car when you catch up with a friend, turn it off when you are at dinner, and put it in the other room when you are reading a book.

2. Technology as a Tool

   Think of technology as a tool, not a crutch. Technology is not being used correctly if it is inhibiting cognitive development and critical thinking.

3. Work on Critical Thinking

   Hone critical thinking by engaging in tasks that call on problem-solving, creativity, and analysis. This could be reading and discussing a book or article, picking up a new skill, or engaging in a friendly debate.

4. Goals when Working with Technology

   Set achievable goals when working with technology. The small, bite-size goal will allow you to maintain focus and minimise the number of distractions.

5. Human-Centered Interactions

   Prioritise human-centered interactions. Whenever you can, try and de-virtualise your friendships. Real-life connection is a fundamental human need and can never be mimicked in the virtual arena.

As technology continues to develop, making everything easier and quicker, this hustle and pressure can easily spill into other areas of our lives. But, the next time you’re showing someone your beautiful holiday photos, I invite you to also use your glorious and beautiful brain; tell them your funny memories, the sound and feel of the place you visited, and your lessons learned. Sometimes a picture isn’t worth a thousand words.

 

If you’re interested in learning more about how to disengage from technology and slow down, you can read more here, and check out this blog living more mindfully. If you resonate with feeling addicted to your phone, Catherine Price’s book How to Break Up With Your Phone could be a helpful read.