Technology: The New Human Shaper in this Digital Age

Humans are social creatures. Being part of a community is integral to how we’re wired. We need to connect, we need to belong, we need to feel we’re part of something bigger than just ourselves.

According to a number of expert digital life will continue to escalate people’s boundaries and opportunities in the coming decade and that the world to come will produce more help than harm in people’s lives. As per a presentation titled Constantly Connected – The Role of Humans in the Digital Revolution, Digital anthropologist Rahaf Harfoush with attendees, at the 2018 #GovTechLive Forum escalated five ways technology is shaping humans in the digital age. Rahaf pointed out that we shouldn’t be worried with what we hear, but rather we should use the knowledge as power so that we can control our technology rather than become slaves to it.

When the Pew Research Center asks American internet users for their bottom-line judgment about the role of digital technology in their own lives, the vast majority feel it is a good thing. Many of those who argue that human well-being will be harmed also acknowledge that digital tools will continue to enhance various aspects of life. They also note there is no turning back. At the same time, hundreds of them suggested interventions in the coming years they feel could mitigate the problems and emphasize the benefits. Moreover, many of the hopeful respondents also agree that some harm will arise in the future, especially to those who are vulnerable.

5 ways in which technology is shaping humans in the digital age :

  • Data Abundance:

People used to say that money made the world go ’round, and that’s still mostly the case. But for marketers, the world runs on four letters “DATA” that are often arranged in binary code. We have moved from a time of data scarcity to data abundance. These days, customer data is about as ubiquitous as air or water. We are surrounded by information 24/7. This can leave some feeling overloaded. We can’t read everything on the internet and that’s okay. However, in many cases the policies and philosophies of the management are old fashioned and come from a period of data scarcity. They are still using tools like email, voicemail, and face to face meetings, all discovered by people who were born last century, even though we are in a radically different world with newer and smarter tools ,Slack, Workplace, and Teams. By updating practice with tools like Slack, Workplace, Teams, collaborative documents, etc., companies can improve performance, strengthen relationships, increase productivity prevent mistakes and more.

  • Digital Relativism

Now-a-days the internet and media is an important part of our lives. The way we currently consume media is in relation to us. The internet gets to know us and feeds us what we want to hear and agree with. These results in echo chambers and amplification of ideas we believe. As a result we are mistaking opinions for beliefs.

So a question can definitely come that what are the strategies that can be employed to combat this? For example, use incognito mode when doing searches so that the results are not personalized to you. You can explore a digital diet that includes a variety of views, especially those that differ from yours.

  • Digital DNA

The lines between our real identities and online identities are blurring which will affect what’s in store for our future. People are embedding their belief systems into technological code.

Like for example be aware of the belief systems our tools have. For example, think of Facebook and its creator Marc Zuckerberg. How does he feel about privacy and how does that affect Facebook as a tool?

  • Boundary Dissolution

Technology continues to dissolve the boundaries between our online and offline worlds with tools like AR and VR. We are merging them together to create new experiences and perspectives. This is also giving rise to a more connected global population.

For example  : how can technology help us find new spaces and places for staff and/or students to engage? To answer this we need to understand that how rapidly the changing world has posed the long standing question to education While many, if not all, systems of education seek to at least improve and advance (and some even seek to radically transform), this does not necessarily mean one has to leverage technology to do so However, there are several key drivers pushing technology as a key component for educational system change, and these serve as central reasons that educators and education stakeholders should consider the growing relevance and implications of technology and technology-based school innovations.

  • Evolutionary Ecosystems :The basic of digital platform

Ecosystems are the broadest base of digital platforms.  They can have high or low intimacy with long or short term engagement. These digital ecosystems are changing society in ways in which many of us are unaware.

Are we holding ourselves accountable for the impact of our technology? The challenge for society in this era of rapid technological change, automation and machine learning is to use its opportunities not only to improve our quality of life but also our purpose.This technological revolution affords us new techniques and approaches to find out more about the forces and processes which govern life on our planet, and to adapt the way we work in the light of what we learn.

With every day that passes, we get to know more about our world and how it works. Technology is enabling us to be more responsive to change as it happens, providing us with a wealth of timely data and insight into mankind’s many interactions with the natural world and their effects.

Thus technology is also of us that we be more responsible in our management of this planet and its resources. Our deeper knowledge about the effects of our actions on our world demand that we act responsibly as a consequence.

Also Read,

Ayan Sarkar

Ayan Sarkar is one of the youngest entrepreneurs of India. Possessing the talent of creative designing and development, Ayan is also interested in innovative technologies and believes in compiling them together to build unique digital solutions. He has worked as a consultant for various companies and has proved to be a value-added asset for each of them. With years of experience in web development, product managing and building domains for customers, he currently holds the position of the CTO in Webskitters Technology Solutions Pvt. Ltd.