Post on 30-May-2015
description
and the impact of technology on human relations SOCIAL INTERACTION
BY DEEPU NAIR
THE FUTURE OF
Social Interaction
Exchange
Cooperation
CompetitionCoercion
Conflict
• Goods• Services• Information
• Friendships• Education• Work
• Business• Sports
• Politics• Social Movements
• Wars• Crime
Human Relations
Social Interaction
Exchange
Cooperation
CompetitionCoercion
Conflict
Social Interaction
Social Interaction
Exchange
Cooperation
CompetitionCoercion
Conflict
Social Interaction
Social Interaction involves the processes by which people act and react in relation
to others, and is therefore the sum of the varied human relations that happen at the
individual level
Communication
Transportation Information
Technology
DEFINITIONThe application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes
In the future, human relationships will be radically changed by 3 main types of technologies…
Communication
Transportation Information
Technology
Social media is found at the confluence of the three
technologies. It also is the driving force in
the way that technology will affect human relations, and hence social interaction, in
10 years’ time.
Social Interaction
Exchange
Cooperation
CompetitionCoercion
Conflict
In the future, these key technologies will affect social interaction by radically changing the way we engage in these activities…
Technology
Over the next 10 years, human relations - and therefore social interaction – will have to increasingly confront 4 new realities as a result of technological progress
Social Interaction
‘Always On”
Diminished Privacy
New Boundaries
Changing Language
The Effects
“Always On”
Human relations will evolve given that human beings are ‘Always On’ . We are constantly connected to technological devices and social media: endless multitasking
This will be exacerbated by the roll-out of wearable technology (like Google glasses) and other innovations in the field of ubiquitous computing • Fabric computing• Battery miniaturization • Expanding network capacities
“Always On”
Ping - a social networking garment which connects the wearer to their social media accounts, wirelessly. By performing natural gestures — lifting the hood – the wearer can interact with friends on their social media accounts
“Always On”
case in point
David Riesman’s notion of the lonely crowd - people ‘surrounded’ by others, yet quintessentially isolated
For many users of mobile technology, people around them are equivalent to elevator music
While technology provides opportunities for people to communicate to one another it also gives us tools for building virtual walls
Constant multi tasking also diminishes the focus we can pay to any single activity, including human relations
“Always On”
consequences
New technologies will allow us unprecedented social connection, bringing many benefits
Yet it may cause us to spread ourselves too thin, and diminish the the quality of our social interaction
“Always On”
in 10 years’ time
Privacy
Probably… clothes, body language, manners, etc
Privacy
Your first day in class: What determines who you choose to interact with?
case in point
Now…Imagine you had access to immediate information about your new classmates thanks to your latest pair of Google glasses.
Privacy
How would that information affect your decision on who to interact with?
case in point
Bad credit Rating President of the Film Club
Mediocre GPAOn Financial Assistance
Privacy
Privacy
Erving Goffman’s idea of the public face – the carefully crafted image people display to others
The increasing (and instantaneous) access to information that people would otherwise guard - will lead to a public face that is less crafted and more realistic
consequences
Human relations will acquire a high degree of openness as it will be difficult to separate private interactions from public interactions (public face). People will be more comfortable with transparency in their relationships
Society will change its perception of acceptable behavior, with a greater tolerance for ‘loss of face’ (especially in Asia)
Will affect Coercion relations as well-Governments will (have to) be more transparent
Competition in business and politics will focus on uncovering private information – it will become an industry of its own
in 10 years’ time
Privacy
Privacy
Boundaries
Human relations are governed by boundaries- e.g. Competition in business is constrained by rules
Technology will lead to empowerment of the disenfranchised/changing of the rules- Major implications for competition, coercion and conflict
Boundaries
Greenpeace’s viral video campaign http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaJjPRwExO8&feature=share&list=PL552425FDB59C1C05
Forced Nestle, Unilever and other large MNCs to stop buying palm oil from certain firms in Indonesia – by marshaling public opinion
Boundaries
case in point
Boundaries
Printing press– Storming of the Bastille
consequences
Social media – Tahir square
=
Boundaries
The power dynamics of social interaction will change as public opinion becomes a more valuable commodity
New technologies will also enable smaller actors to organize and mobilize support against traditionally ‘powerful actors’/authority.
There will be a growing importance accorded to community based mediation and moderation with regard to online conflict/coercion
in 10 years time
Language
DEFINITIONLanguage is the medium through which human relations are conducted, be it spoken or written language. A language is never fixed. It changes constantly, adapting to the changes in society’s needs.
Language
Mechanics of written text are viewed as less important; writing has increasingly become an instrument for recording informal speech rather than a form of linguistic representation
Language (both spoken and written) plays a reduced role as a social status marker
Internet communication will also see a stronger use of audio and video, as tools to create these components become easier and faster to use
Language
Convergence has its benefits
Enable Talk, a software solution that transforms sign language, into a form of verbal communication through sensor-equipped gloves and a mobile device.
Example of the convergence of Visual language with oral language
Language
case in point
Language
Currently, the overwhelmingly text and speech based nature of communication comes at the expense of social skills such as face-to-face contact and reading non-verbal cues.
However, with increased network capacities, and new technological advances that move away from the ‘text and speech’ paradigm of earlier technology, this may become less of an issue
consequences
Language
There will be conformity of language
Writing and speaking will continue to merge in order to effect this evolution, and the result will be a language that efficiently and creatively combines the characteristics and the technologies of both
Eventually, we will have multi-technology hybridity – writing, speech, and audio and visual elements meshed together – and this will require new learning and new adoption
in 10 years’ time
Conclusion
These four (technological) realities challenge our assumptions about human relations calling for us to rethink conventional notions about multitasking, transparency, individual empowerment and language.
Social Interaction
‘Always On”
Diminished Privacy
New Boundaries
Changing Language
Conclusion
In the next ten years, Social interaction will be profoundly transformed by these four new realties of human interaction.
This presentation is in response to the IE Business School admissions essay question :
How do you imagine social interaction within 10 years, taking into consideration the impact of technology on human relations?
By Deepu Nair