Technology has been serving humankind since the beginning of time – even more so with the rapid development of the last sixty years, playing the role of servant to our needs and making our lives so much more convenient.
However, in recent times technological advancements have moved at such a pace that we humans often find it difficult to keep up.
Critically, experts say our lives will change faster in the next two decades than it has in the last 300 years with the main attributable reason being the incredibly fast developments in this sector.
And even though technology may be a human act, the way it is redefining our lives is much deeper than we could have ever imagined and almost out of our hands at this stage.
Now that next-level technological advancements like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have been firmly established, machines are no longer just dumb innovation. Edging past humans in many different ways, recent inventions will replace humans in multiple areas.
Already, farming has been made easier with new equipment to plow, and flights have made moving of heavy goods (and humans) faster, whilst the humble email shares information packages over thousands of kilometers in just mere seconds.
Therefore it comes as no surprise that in recent times many people have lost their jobs as a knock-on or direct effect of these innovations, finding themselves surplus to requirements at the workplace. Remarkably, research reveals that technology has already taken over 90 percent of the work that humans were previously doing.
Each day businesses and corporations are investing millions of dollars trying to improve their technology to be able to outcompete their rivals. Companies hire the best developers and engineers to create new, innovative applications, and machines.
People have started using machines even for their basic day-to-day tasks because it is not only faster, but simpler. Anything that can save some time is happily welcomed by us. This is the reason why the demand for technology has increased over the years, which has led to this takeover.
Are humans due for an upgrade of ourselves?
But how many of us are putting the same amount of time and effort to figure out the techniques by which we can evolve in this society? How many of us are upgrading ourselves with this fast-moving digital world?
There is certainly a wide gap between technology and the level to which we humans have upgraded to be able to keep up with the ever-changing world and to develop psychologically to adapt as well.
And as we increasingly introduce new technologies into our lives, we need to have an equal understanding of the pros and cons. There are very few of us who fully comprehend the dangers of this digital world.
Twitter accounts being hacked and bitcoin payments being made, two years’ worth of edited photos lost from Adobe, problems of having sexual content on Pinterest, and many such incidents are not just technological failures but a reflection of the failures of humans behind these technologies. It shows how we, as humans, have not upgraded ourselves with the evolving technologies.
If we dare to criticise things, we should also have the guts to accept criticism. Each of us need to self-reflect as to how we make this world a better place to live in. We must keep humanity alive in this society and not allow technology to dominate us.
Impact of tech failures on humans
The misuse of applying technology and the accompanying failures have a tremendous negative impact on the mental health of the people involved. The modern lifestyle is surrounded by technology and hence humanity is bound to be affected when something goes wrong on the technological front.
Emotional stress is at an all-time high in humans and is leading to multiple issues like depression, anxiety, self-isolation, family disputes, divorces, discrimination, and much more.
The recent tech failures, as the Twitter account hacking was not only a technological failure but a failure on the part of humanity. These incidents are a reflection of the struggles we are facing due to the improper handling of technology. This is a wake-up call for all humans to upgrade themselves mentally. We all must learn to keep ourselves secure from the bad guys of the internet and have firm control over how much technology-dependent we become.
How can we update ourselves
Just like we plan, implement, update, and maintain the workflows in the tech world, we need to do the same for ourselves.
There are many ways in which one can patch oneself and be ready for this new world.
Statistics do show that meditation is one of the ways we humans try to reduce stress and anxiety. It helps you to relax and empowers you to think better, something no technology is capable of. We are also getting back to the old age tradition of keeping a diary to practice mindfulness.
Apart from upgrading ourselves psychologically, we also need to realize that we spend much of the first 20 years of our lives dedicated to memorizing facts and developing areas of knowledge we’ll rarely use again.
Therefore upgrading our skills to meta skills is essential. Meta skills open the door to learning, while domain-specific skills close them.
- Creativity
In this world of innovations, there will be new and complex problems every day, which will need creative ways of solving. The development of new ideas is the need of the hour. Hence, one has to find his way of being creative.
- Self-awareness
We need to know ourselves better each day. Identifying our flaws and working on them is a part of being self-aware. We also need to accept the reality around us. A self-aware person is also a confident person.
- Resilience
To acquire this skill, one needs to be experimental. Once you are not afraid of the uncertainties related to experimentation, you are ready to face any change that comes your way. Similarly, resilience can be built by getting over failures with a positive attitude.
These are some skills that can uplift your adaptability. You will have an accepting mindset, and accustoming to new environments will not be a challenge anymore.
We, at Hyper Island, are always excited about taping on the landscape with the students on digital transformation and we do it trough transformational learning. There is no way we can stop or slow down the pace at which technology is improving, however, we can always upgrade ourselves and develop into a society where the new technologies can be accommodated in a non-disruptive and human-focused manner.
Humanity should always come before technology, and it is on us humans to warrant this.
Collaborator
Devaprakash Giretheren, Chief Technology Officer, Hyper Island Asia Pacific
