Conference Presentation, Panel
Tech vs. Talk: Is Technology Changing Human Relationships?
- Technology is expected to evolve in unpredictable ways by 2017 and 2018, with human cultures constantly re-evaluating social mores and norms regarding usage.
- Face-to-face conversations are predicted to deteriorate and become more trivial when phones are present, leading to a decline in empathic connections.
- Empathy among college students has reportedly decreased by 40% over the past 30 years, with a corresponding loss of capacity for solitude and self-reflection due to constant stimulation.
- Research suggests that after six minutes of isolation with devices, individuals, particularly college students, may prefer administering electroschocks to sitting alone.
- A societal norm is expected to emerge within five to ten years where young people feel compelled to text back immediately, creating pressure to be "always on" and "always responsive."
- Parents anticipate a shift in primary concerns from physical predators to cyber bullying, and finally to the impact of technology on children's relationship dynamics and brain development.
- Technology is predicted to transform childhood by turning relationships into transactions driven by a desire for perfection, while also eroding the pressure to seek in-person interactions.
- While one in three marriages reportedly began online, 99.999% of a relationship's development occurs after leaving the digital platform, suggesting fundamental dating changes are overblown.
- Online dating platforms are expected to facilitate introductions that create far more diverse relationships, and digital interactions may help voices emerge that were previously unheard.
- Anxiety regarding youth technology use is framed as a recurring cycle, similar to past generations' fears about television, though current pressure to be available affects multiple generations.
- Corporate cultures are predicted to claim to value conversation while simultaneously measuring employee devotion by their constant availability to email.
- Designers are encouraged to create devices that go silent when unused, and cars should be maintained as sacred spaces for conversation to counteract the "siren call of friction-free."
- Institutions and culture may eventually determine the value of technology, while smart anticipatory spaces could regulate data throughput and phone functionality based on location.
- Self-learning and AI companions are described as seductive, with apps positioning themselves as friends or therapists, risking the displacement of human connection.
- Parents are expected to set rules and serve as role models to address the anxiety and oppression caused by the blurring of lines between work and play.
- Technology is predicted to cause initial hysteria before becoming accepted, with the potential to either facilitate human thriving or conflict with inherent human cultural physical affordances.
- The capacity for solitude and boredom is identified as a crucial developmental achievement of childhood that requires preservation against technological interference.
- Future designs aim to prioritize human nature by moving from "us with devices" to "us with devices plus data," ensuring human qualities drive the next generation of technology.