If Titanic sinks in 2022
Critique on Social Media and Technology – an essay
My daughters high school homework on a picture names ‘if Titanic sinks in 2022’ forced me to think about technology and social behavior. I have spent over 30 years to develop technologies in telecommunication domain and lately in the pharma world. Only now I am starting to question the consequences. Unfortunately, many years too late…
Titanic is sinking by hitting an iceberg in northern Atlantic ocean, people have jumped in the ice cold water and will probably die in few minutes due to hyperthermia and drowning.? But they are filming the extraordinary event to share on the web.
Development of transistor in to microprocessor to super powered handheld computers a.k.a. smart phones; and the development of 'simple' voice communication systems into fully connected real time multimedia carrying global internet structures changed the societies dramatically. The intentions behind these technological developments were most of the time noble, at least when we read the stories of the high tech innovation houses like Bell Labs, Xerox PARC, IBM, Apple, and Sony.? However how the society uses these technologies or how these technologies presented to us by application provider, often known as dot coms, can be often questionable.?
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Harari in his best seller book Sapiens describe human beings as social animals.? In comparison to other animals ability to speak with each other and further more ability of talking about each other had enlarged the tribe size and made them stronger as group. Hence a group that knows each other and likes each other becomes a close nit tribe and has a higher change of survival.? We have that ‘liked’ instinct apparently from the stone ages.? Social media applications success is based on that instinct and also on the famous ‘FOMO’, ‘fear of missing out.? ?
The sharing of extraordinary instances makes us exceptional and visible in the crowded and all connected internet world. We start to live online because our audience is there, our modern tribe is there.? Technology also offers all the necessary complementary eco system like ordering food, ordering clothing, doing homework, banking, earning money, etc..? It is a new world, a new reality and all on digital platforms. ?.It is a truly a mind-machine integration.? We distance ourselves from analog world, hence physical realities, that means we don’t need our body anymore to interact with our surrounding. Our body, our physical abilities that helped us to survive seems useless, what a paradox..?
We are forced to think and to feel that an instance is only real if we capture it on digital media and share with our tribe.? We lost our connection to our body and soul.? Our actions, or the meaning of life is defined by sharing things digitally with our tribe, and not to internalize the experience and learn and grow with it.? The new God is ‘being seen’ and ‘being liked’.
Even when we are drowning in cold water, to make it real, we need to capture and share it.? We become junkies of approval, not much different from heroin addicts.? It kills us but for an instant gives us a ‘high’
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1 年Social Media development make everyone knows everything he/she want to know, maybe don't need one minute, just "search". I also put myself into all social media to waste my workoff time. There is a word that no matter what problems you're suffering, just send a post to network audience. Most of time we do ignored ourselves feelings, thinkings, many things.
Principal Technical Leader for Advanced Buildings and Communities at EPRI
1 年In the spirit of your astute observation, I am going to comment on your posting to let you know that I agree with you whole heartedly, my friend. I do this instead of clicking the “Like” button or better get the “celebration” icon. ??
Teknoloji Y?netimi Dan??man? at Serbest dan??man
1 年You may add YOLO (You Only Live Once) to FOMO.?A quotation from The Joy of Missing Out - The Art of Self-Resistant in Age of Excess written by Svend Brinkmann (Olan Biteni Ka??rma Keyfi, A??r?l?k ?a??nda Kendine Hakim Olmak, ?leti?im Yay.),? ?"Everywhere we turn, we are constantly encouraged to experience as much as possible, for as long as possible, in as many ways as possible. FOMO – Fear of Missing Out – has become a central preoccupation in a world fixated on the never-ending pursuit of gratification and self-fulfilment."?
Booster ?? International Funding Schemes Senior Expert EMCC EIA Senior Practitioner, ADLER ATC MSCA: Marie-Curies of Mediterranean Türkiye ???? Bloomer House TR ???? I Optimize UK ????
1 年?? illusion of being important and appreciated through the audience which is not really real
CEO of Life After Disaster ?? Disaster Recovery | Networking | Writer
1 年One major issue I’ve noticed with social media culture is the false sense of righteousness that comes merely from engaging with a post. ‘Liking’ a post about global warming isn’t the same as taking actual action. Supporting arbitrary concepts online doesn’t equate to making a real contribution to the world. Social media, however, often gives this illusion of involvement. Communication is important, but what are we really communicating about? Is it based on tangible, meaningful substance, or are we creating a world where actions merely turn into digital distortions? These are a few questions that readers can further explore. Dear Dogan Taskent thank you for bringing up this subject and providing us with a space to contribute ??