The social disadvantages of the technological revolution.
With the much-heralded release of Apple’s new augmented reality headset, the Vision PRO, in early February this year, there has been an emerging conversation on the negative effects of the proliferation of technology into every aspect of our daily lives, a debate on where and how much our interaction with the virtual world becomes excessive and to the detriment of our shared humanity and interaction with each other on a personal level.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (or so it seems these days) people actually talked to each other, total strangers would often strike up conversations at random, sometimes to the effect of lasting friendships and/or relationships.
That is not to say, however, that the technology in and of itself is bad, but the fact remains that it has created problems and issues in society that until the recent technological revolution, was either virtually non-existent or not of the same prominence as it is today.
One of the bold proclamations from the outset by the inventors of the technology we so take for granted nowadays was that it would break down barriers – both geographical and sociological – and bring a disparate and divided world closer together.
But if anything, the digitization of the global society has pushed people further apart, not to mention created some causal issues in its wake that couldn’t have been foreseen prior. In this article, we will explore some of these issues, how they affect society, and possible solutions.
Privacy
One of the biggest problems with global digitization is the issue of privacy; both personal and professional. Cybercrime has become very much a priority, protecting highly sensitive information from those who would use it for nefarious gain has become a lucrative industry unto itself, employing 5.4 million people and estimated to be worth over $200 billion worldwide in 2022.
There are also privacy concerns regarding governmental organizations and how much information that is genuinely required for public services to function adequately vs information that those in authority can use to silence dissent, or target individuals and/or groups for entirely political reasons.
On a micro level, discretion about what information you share online can mitigate risks of privacy compromises, but on the macro level, where government and so-called Big Tech have been proven to be in cahoots regarding the violation of individual citizen’s civil rights, it is imperative that not only should legislation be tightened but independent oversight of information retrieval, storage, and use by governmental bodies should be strengthened further.
Division
It’s patently obvious that the internet has not exactly brought the world together… quite the opposite, in fact. Both Geoff Hinton, who pioneered Google’s AI development and, indeed, the very inventor of the internet itself, Tim Berners Lee, have decried the coarsening and debasement of public debate and decorum via the digital realm.
The effects on society are palpable; groups have become marginalized, more tribal, inward looking, and suspicious of those that don’t share their outlook or ethnicity. There has been much debate already on how to reduce social friction caused by digitization, but short of blanket censorship on certain groups (giving government power over any and all classification of free speech is a prospect rife with danger) on one end, or shutting down the internet completely (unrealistic and now simply impractical), the best solution to the problem is civic and political engagement on the required levels. Talk may be cheap but it’s a lot less expensive than dealing with the effects of social unrest fanned by digitization after the fact.
Isolation
According to a study conducted by Regis College, 70% of U.S. adults have at least 1 social media account – the average number is 7 – but yet, with this mass usage of interaction in the digital realm, 1 in 5 of those questioned admit to feelings of loneliness and isolation.
To be brutally frank, it’s not hard to see how this situation has developed. The statistics on such lay it out only too clearly… 3.5 billion people actively use social media every day, 1 million social media accounts per day are opened, the average daily time spent on social media and the internet in general is 3-4 hours, while 51% admit to social media being difficult to give up.
Which brings us back full circle to the Apple Vision PRO, a device seamlessly blending the wearer’s view of the real world with the exclusive display of one or more virtual realms. Users can navigate busy streets, read emails, edit documents, sip coffee, and chat with friends across the globe… all simultaneously.
While the Apple Vision Pro introduces exhilarating new technology, what truly disturbs is not the technology itself but the potentially isolating uses to which it may be directed. Instead of being a groundbreaking method to connect, communicate, and collaborate in a multi-dimensional universe, it risks becoming just another barrier between individuals.
Blaming technology for our social detachment and private escapades is easy, but at some point, we must take responsibility for how we wield these tools in our lives.
