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How dependent are we on technology?
While
a new survey says tech-obsession can make us less human, experts think
otherwise
There
are things we can live without and things we can’t and our smartphones,
computers and other gadgets belong to the latter category. So great is the
dependency on technology that doctors advise a digital detox every once in
a while. And now, a new survey points out it might lessen our sense of
humanity…
WHAT THE SURVEY SAYS
The survey — of 12,000 adults from Brazil, China, France, India,
Indonesia, Italy, Japan and the US — found that about 61 % millenials
(those aged 18-24) believe that technology is currently making people less
human. It revealed that despite being the digital native generation, 59 %
of millenials felt that society has become just too reliant on technology,
a site reported. The findings showed 36% of the younger generation want
technology to become more intuitive and contextually aware so that systems,
services and devices learn about users and anticipate their needs over
time.
But can technology make relationships less
personal?
WHAT EXPERTS FEEL
Calling technology “the best gift of God,” cyber expert Vijay Mukhi
says it has certainly entered all spheres of life. “Most computers now do
operations that doctors cannot. Recently, in the wake of attacks on women,
NASSCOM and the Mumbai Police created an app that would send across the
location of a person in case of an emergency. Most planes fly by themselves
now and it’s not far when we could have cars driven by computers.
Technology is also being used as a humourous exchange — I love to log onto
my social networking sites to read inspirational quotes,” he says.
With regards to it making relationships less
deeper, cyber lawyer Prashant Mali feels that technology must also have its
limits. “It leads to man-made problems like defamation and cyber security.
On a personal level, too, today when you see college students, they are
hardly talking to each other. They are more concerned about their virtual
friends than reality. That said, you cannot deny the need for technology in
our lives. There’s no looking back, but we need to find a balance.”
HOW ROBOTS ARE SLOWLY TAKING OVER
A robot has been defined as an automated machine which is able to take
the place of humans in dangerous environments or manufacturing processes,
and may look like humans in appearance, behaviour, and/or cognition. If you
have watched the TV show The Jetsons, you might have seen little Elroy
going off to school with a robot teacher. While that might happen only in
the future, robotics is continuing to impact the world.
Here’s how…
At a themed robot restaurant in Harbin,
Heilongjiang province in China, diners are served food by robot
waiters. Robot butlers are fast being accepted too. A Spanish company has
come up with one that is meant to be a ‘guide’ and an ‘entertainer’. With
its large chestbased touchscreen, it can even ‘display a map’ of the
surrounding area.' Imagine a robot nurse taking care of you when you are
ill!
‘Nursebots’ are bring planned to help overcome cutbacks in healthcare. They
can be controlled with a tablet device and are reported to be able to
perform routine caretaking tasks like checking on patients. The Japanese
have come up with exoskeletons, which are batterypowered suits that augment
the muscle ‘capacity’ and enable him to lift heavy objects.
SHOULD WE GO ON A ‘DIGITAL DETOX’?
Addiction to gadgets is also being called the new-age health culprit.
Too much texting and gaming can cause harm to the eyes and mind. Mukhi says
to combat it he goes on a technology break where he keeps the phone on
silent mode. But it isn’t easy. Adds Mukhi, “Apart from the net, I used to
be a coffee addict and a smoker and I have to say, of the three addictions,
giving up technology was the toughest.”
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