Drowning in Electronic Communication...
Monday, September 22, 2008
If one was to rewind back as recently as 20 years, and assess the quality of living, they would see the stark difference of the lifestyle of the masses then and now. The difference can quite significantly be attributed to the growth and expansion of certain technologies – notably communication technologies.
Being always connected to the “grid” far from makes our lives more convenient and efficient. As a result of the internets (sic), mobile phones, pagers, email, social networking etc. our lives are moving at a faster pace than ever. The predictions made back in the 80’s on how technology would change our lives in the future centred around a common theme: more leisure time - where technology and computers would attend to all of our bidding, leaving us (in our shiny foil like overalls) to sip milkshake, and sit in our own version of swivelling Big Brother chairs.
The reality is so far from this however, one would actually question the basis of them. People are almost slaves to the technology around them (to extents that can be described as psychological addictions). People experience this in varying forms, from users of BlackBerrys (aka CrackBerrys), who are continually interrupted by amplitudes of emails; to mobile phone users who’s to and fro of text messages consume them. Instead of waiting days for a response, we are able to reply in real time, soliciting further communication (i.e. the response to the response), leaving us embroiled in electronic heck.
Furthermore work is no longer sitting at an office, with mobile technologies, it is now a state of mind one is asked to switch on and off as required. But the problem is that many people cannot switch off, being plagued by push systems (converse to pull systems such as traditional email) wherever they go and at whatever time.
We do get more done, but the stresses we put ourselves in are counter to what we are physically capable of as human beings. Certain health conditions and medical ailments are seeing record numbers, with doctors attributing the causes primarily to stress and overworking.
So what’s the solution? Is there a solution? Do we all give up our laptops and swanky mobile phones and retreat to the countryside?
I personally find switching off my mobile phone at certain time during the day very helpful. I also try and avoid replying instantly to certain non-urgent emails to slow down the pace of dialogue. That said - I’m sure everyone has their own tried and tested ways of dealing with the drowning communication problem - it would be great if you could share them below.
Being always connected to the “grid” far from makes our lives more convenient and efficient. As a result of the internets (sic), mobile phones, pagers, email, social networking etc. our lives are moving at a faster pace than ever. The predictions made back in the 80’s on how technology would change our lives in the future centred around a common theme: more leisure time - where technology and computers would attend to all of our bidding, leaving us (in our shiny foil like overalls) to sip milkshake, and sit in our own version of swivelling Big Brother chairs.
The reality is so far from this however, one would actually question the basis of them. People are almost slaves to the technology around them (to extents that can be described as psychological addictions). People experience this in varying forms, from users of BlackBerrys (aka CrackBerrys), who are continually interrupted by amplitudes of emails; to mobile phone users who’s to and fro of text messages consume them. Instead of waiting days for a response, we are able to reply in real time, soliciting further communication (i.e. the response to the response), leaving us embroiled in electronic heck.
Furthermore work is no longer sitting at an office, with mobile technologies, it is now a state of mind one is asked to switch on and off as required. But the problem is that many people cannot switch off, being plagued by push systems (converse to pull systems such as traditional email) wherever they go and at whatever time.
We do get more done, but the stresses we put ourselves in are counter to what we are physically capable of as human beings. Certain health conditions and medical ailments are seeing record numbers, with doctors attributing the causes primarily to stress and overworking.
So what’s the solution? Is there a solution? Do we all give up our laptops and swanky mobile phones and retreat to the countryside?
I personally find switching off my mobile phone at certain time during the day very helpful. I also try and avoid replying instantly to certain non-urgent emails to slow down the pace of dialogue. That said - I’m sure everyone has their own tried and tested ways of dealing with the drowning communication problem - it would be great if you could share them below.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
