Technology – Building Bridges or Building Walls?
This can be part – 2 of my earlier blog on how technology affects human behaviour. Couple of things that has come to my notice in the past few days made me think… is the popular technology more of a communication enabler or disabler?
A colleague of mine has recently been to Singapore for holidays. An interesting observation, he mentioned, was that how people seem to be in their own world – the ear phones plugged, listening to their ipods, mobile phones, etc… or they were busy fidgeting with their mobile phones, either playing games or watching some video on the phone/ipod. They seem to be in their own world as if they have created an invisible wall around them.
Another is a report that was mentioning about the increase of mobile VAS. Currently the mobile VAS contributes to 12% (in India) of the revenue. While text (SMS) seems to be the major revenue generator in VAS services, contribution from other VAS sources like – Music downloads, Ringtones, Caller Ring Back Tone (CRBT), screensavers, etc are increasing at a fast pace.
You’ll see from the Internet access report image that except for checking emails…the rest of the activity are some form of self consumption
A quick look at how the Internet had trended over the past few years:
- Emailing, Chat rooms, were a big thing about a decade back. It seemed that Internet was being used a big way to ‘communicate’ with others. But stats now show that there is a decline in the usage of email… it has got replaced by search, which is more a personal activity and is all about self consumption. And chat rooms are being dismantled.
- In fact, even when Web 2.0 entered the scene…. Everyone said “here is a platform/tools by which people can converse, collaborate and share”. Tools like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter all had taken the fancy of Internet users. While these platforms are being used for ‘communicating’ with others…. Slowly but surely these platforms are being transformed from ‘communicating’ platforms to platforms of self expression. How many of us now-a-days poke a friend?? How many put a wall posting on a friends profile asking them a basic social greeting like – How are you? Have a Nice day, etc…. I don’t do it.. and I’m sure neither would many of us be doing it.
- Also, have you noticed that most of the tweets or Facebook Updates are more about general things in life (and nothing about personal life updates).. people update about Weather, update about the current global/local news, links to articles, etc… very rarely are the updates talking about what is happening in ‘our’ lives or asking people what is happening in ‘their’ lives… These platforms are soon becoming stages for self expression, and broadcasting . Our personal live glimpses are best left inside of us
Why is it that technology starts of with the intent of filling a basic human need to being in touch with others and communicating with others … it on its way, changes track to fulfill a more self-centric need of humans – about self consumption or self-expression?
Could it be that the low entry barrier for any new technology to get adopted by the people is the Social Need stage as proposed by Maslow in the hierarchy of needs
and as they get used to social stage they look at a higher level and move towards the Esteem stage
It could be a good insight for technology companies who are looking at innovate products or services to see that they enter with a purpose of serving the basic human need and then move higher up in the pyramid
On a lighter note, would as part of self actualization, people realize that there is nothing the technology can do, and hence walk away from technology? :)
Think about it
Cheers
Santosh
A colleague of mine has recently been to Singapore for holidays. An interesting observation, he mentioned, was that how people seem to be in their own world – the ear phones plugged, listening to their ipods, mobile phones, etc… or they were busy fidgeting with their mobile phones, either playing games or watching some video on the phone/ipod. They seem to be in their own world as if they have created an invisible wall around them.
Another is a report that was mentioning about the increase of mobile VAS. Currently the mobile VAS contributes to 12% (in India) of the revenue. While text (SMS) seems to be the major revenue generator in VAS services, contribution from other VAS sources like – Music downloads, Ringtones, Caller Ring Back Tone (CRBT), screensavers, etc are increasing at a fast pace.
You’ll see from the Internet access report image that except for checking emails…the rest of the activity are some form of self consumption
A quick look at how the Internet had trended over the past few years:
- Emailing, Chat rooms, were a big thing about a decade back. It seemed that Internet was being used a big way to ‘communicate’ with others. But stats now show that there is a decline in the usage of email… it has got replaced by search, which is more a personal activity and is all about self consumption. And chat rooms are being dismantled.
- In fact, even when Web 2.0 entered the scene…. Everyone said “here is a platform/tools by which people can converse, collaborate and share”. Tools like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter all had taken the fancy of Internet users. While these platforms are being used for ‘communicating’ with others…. Slowly but surely these platforms are being transformed from ‘communicating’ platforms to platforms of self expression. How many of us now-a-days poke a friend?? How many put a wall posting on a friends profile asking them a basic social greeting like – How are you? Have a Nice day, etc…. I don’t do it.. and I’m sure neither would many of us be doing it.
- Also, have you noticed that most of the tweets or Facebook Updates are more about general things in life (and nothing about personal life updates).. people update about Weather, update about the current global/local news, links to articles, etc… very rarely are the updates talking about what is happening in ‘our’ lives or asking people what is happening in ‘their’ lives… These platforms are soon becoming stages for self expression, and broadcasting . Our personal live glimpses are best left inside of us
Why is it that technology starts of with the intent of filling a basic human need to being in touch with others and communicating with others … it on its way, changes track to fulfill a more self-centric need of humans – about self consumption or self-expression?
Could it be that the low entry barrier for any new technology to get adopted by the people is the Social Need stage as proposed by Maslow in the hierarchy of needs
and as they get used to social stage they look at a higher level and move towards the Esteem stage
It could be a good insight for technology companies who are looking at innovate products or services to see that they enter with a purpose of serving the basic human need and then move higher up in the pyramid
On a lighter note, would as part of self actualization, people realize that there is nothing the technology can do, and hence walk away from technology? :)
Think about it
Cheers
Santosh
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