AUGUST 13, 2008

Technology: Friend or Foe?

Life today without WiFi and BlackBerries has become unthinkable. These technologies, which we cannot live without, have arguably allowed us to become more connected than ever. We do business more efficiently, pay bills faster, and take care of more errands, all with the help of the technology we love. But is this newfound connectivity killing real human interaction? Steven Hodson asks this question in this post on Mashable:

I know I am not alone in this but sometimes I get the feeling that as a human race we are slowly losing the ability or desire to appreciate the things in life that we are so eager to try and replace with technology.

[snip] 

If this is the case then I think it speaks sadly for our society as we apparently are distancing ourselves from each other. As much as technology in some ways is trying to make our lives better, we should also not be willing to so easily give up on the real human act of interaction.

I wonder if our social skills have declined just because we don’t utilize them as often as we used to. With all the options we have to “talk” to one another it’s easy to go for years without having a conversation face-to-face and still keep in touch with a dear friend.

With services like Slydial, it’s not that crazy to imagine a world where we stop talking to each other altogether and rely soley on voicemails, emails, and instant messaging. What is Slydial? It is a free voice messaging service that connects you directly to someone’s mobile voicemail.

From Slydial’s website:

Create the illusion of communication
You maxed out your emergency credit card the first week of school. Your parents are looking for some answers. A text message isn’t going to cut it but a voicemail would mean that you tried calling them. 

Talk about a decline in real human interactions! I promise not to Slydial you, if you promise not to Slydial me!