In recent decades we have assumed that technologies are changing our lives. However, at first we were reluctant, as if technology was something negative that was going to harm, perhaps because of the influence of the science fiction novels of the 60-70s (thanks to Asimov, Dick and company) or for the simple fear of the unknown (having its peak in the famous Year 2000 problem).
After verifying that after that event the Earth did not explode, there was no digital blackout and we do not need to hang on tree lianas like Tarzan, we have gradually created a more and more innate relationship with technologies. This connection has grown until the point of creating the digital environment that we currently have. The digital world is significantly shaping the way we act, communicate and interact. It is no longer a tool at our disposal, but an extension of ourselves.
Why?
According to the information provided by the Office of National Statistics, 95% of adults aged 16 to 74 years in the UK in 2018 were recent internet users, the third-highest in the EU. We embrace that digital consumption in such a natural way that sometimes we do not even realize about some things…
- When was the last time you have used the Yellow Pages to find a Take Away? Come on! Just Eat is just one click away in your phone!
- Can you imagine you were buying an encyclopedia in 2020? Even the prestigious Encyclopedia Britannica went digital.
- Do you remember when you were planning to go to a new place and you should ask your friends that had already been there about nice hotels or charming restaurants? I am sure that Booking and Tripadvisor are currently helping you to avoid many of those talks!
- You definitely do not remember the last time you wrote a letter to a friend. Say thanks again to Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp etc… they have helped you save a lot of money on stamps!
Those are few examples of how our daily basis have evolve to what we have nowadays. The digital environment influences and conditions our way of thinking and reacting, as individuals and as a society. In addition, academic and labor fields are also affected by this evolution. In the first aspect we have our institution, University of Exeter, as a clear example. The implementation of digital platforms in the academic field is evident, as certain courses such as the Marketing Master we are studying are based 100% on an online interface. Furthermore, the use of digital tools such as podcasts, e-books and webinars have evolved as much as they are beginning to replace conventional methods.
We have the same in labor terms. Our communications are integrated with the digital world within the use of individual devices, such as computers, servers, mobile phones, and other personal digitally-based devices. As well, digital environment is installed in an essential way through organizations and I am sure that almost all of us cannot conceive our jobs without systems of email servers, data storage servers, accounting software programs, etc. From another point of view, the emergence of new ways of producing and selling products and content has been so influenced that even we as consumers are producers of those goods by sharing, evaluating and, ultimately, advertising what we consume.
Is it counterproductive?
We can say that it depends on our point of view. This era has brought something that had not been enjoyed in the past: instantaneity. Almost everything we need is just a click away. However, it is clear that technology exercises control over us, both innate (have you ever heard the term nomophobia?) and deliberately (geolocation, exposure of private information). An almost science fiction example of this real control is the idea of introducing microchips into individuals, something that have created rumours about the possible monitoring by governments. Such a Orwellian idea:
What I find very interesting about the appearance of disruptive technologies is the anthropological point of view that has inevitably emerged. This digital interfaces are extremely evolved and have set some kind of social norms, practices, storied history, associated collective memory, special language terminologies, etc. Also, it is remarkable the existance of communities built around online platforms such as forums (4chan worldwide, Forocoches in the Spanish speakers countries or niche forums such as videogames ones) or politically motivated groups like Anonymous. These groups give the possibility of creating digital identities, sometimes totally fictional, whose use is certainly a double-edged sword.
We live exciting times. Everything seems to be more simple and accessible. We have facilities never thought forty years ago. Almost any doubt can be resolved by asking Mr. Google. We can even be who we are not with using our digital persona.
But… is it really what we want?
References
Dillner, L. (2017). Does ‘phone separation anxiety’ really exist? The Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/aug/28/does-phone-separation-anxiety-really-exist.
Johnson, S. (2019). In 1983, Isaac Asimov predicted the world of 2019. Here’s what he got right. World Economic Forum. Retrieved from: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/in-1983-isaac-asimov-predicted-the-world-of-2019-heres-what-he-got-right-and-wrong.
Kearney, C. (2012). Encyclopedia Britannica ends print, goes digital. Reuters. Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-encyclopediabritannica-idUSBRE82C1FS20120314.
Martin, T. (2017). Electric Dreams: how Philip K Dick predicted our age of paranoia. The Telegraph. Retrieved from: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/authors/electric-dreams-philip-k-dick-predicted-age-paranoia/.
Prescott, C. (2019). Internet users, UK: 2019. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved from: https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/itandinternetindustry/bulletins/internetusers/2019.
Cesar MarKtin 