Is Technology Losing The Touch?

You won’t find me often posting links to TED talks on this blog. It’s not that I don’t enjoy a good TED talk, it’s more that the format isn’t often conducive for a blog post. But this one really caught my eye, and it’s only a few minutes long. Go ahead and watch it. If nothing else. you’ll be entertained.

The point is very clear: our society is quickly moving away from personal interactions and towards more disconnected virtual ones. I’ll let you decide if that’s true or not, but it’s clear that the presenter in the video, Marshall Jones, thinks it’s a bad thing. He suggests that we don’t interact “in real life” anymore and makes the hyperbole that we’ll get to the point where we forget what a “human touch” is. While it’s hard to imagine it getting that bad, there’s got to be some basis for his assertions.

A recent study reported by CNET, found that roughly forty percent of teens own an iPhone. And that’s just iPhones, it’s not counting any other smartphone on the market. Now think about when you got your first smart phone. Do you even own a smart phone? How old are you?

I’m not here to badger a point against technology–my opinions are quite the opposite. Heck, I write for a tech blog; I love technology and I want everyone to keep using it! But there’s a lot to be said about how we use it in our lives. Maybe this video will motivate you to get up and walk to your coworker’s desk rather than sending him an IM. Or perhaps you’ll make plans to meet up with friends at a bar or restaurant instead of going on a raid with them on Wow.

Best thing to do? Go outside for a little bit this Fall before it gets too cold this Winter. Then come back on to BestTechie and tell us about it!