J. How do you imagine social interaction within 10 years, taking into consideration the impact of

technology on human relations?

Priyanka Sharma MiM- February 2017

“Recognize that every interaction you have is an opportunity to make a positive impact on others”

Humans are social animals and must interact with fellow beings to forge any kind of relationship and for health benefits.

Most recent luminaries like Bill gates and Mark Zuckerberg, among many others have completely evolunized the way people think, feel, believe and interpret emotions.

The foundation of human relationships nowadays is based on social media which will in the near future plunge to become a mass media platform, as it is one channel for sharing content, voicing opinions and concerns, radically transforming the way people communicate.

“It’s not that we use Technology, we live Technology”

How often do you send a hardcopy postcard these days from an exotic holiday destination ?

Seldom. You’d rather Facetime/ Skype, Snapchat (with a set timer) , Whatsapp, Instagram, Youtube and Pintrest the entire place through pictures, videos and the best filters. You might even describe it in the local language (courtesy: Google Translator) most briefly (because, Twitter permits only 140 charcters!) in the most fancy way . Your LinkedIn network would also get a sneakpeek into your jetsetting lifestyle. ALL this at just the price/ easy access of an internet connection.Technology can even photoshop, a barren land to look like a bizarre island.

BUT POSTCARDS ? That’s an extinct souvnier now.

Existing Technology on the block: one touch and the world is in your hands

Intelligent personal assistants such as Apple’s SIRI and Samsung’s S-voice allow us to input text or speak commands instead of typing.

With Kinect and Wii like technologies we can control devices by simply using gestures.

Thermostats that learn our preferences, smart watches that take our pulse, and Nike even knows how often and how fast we run (bottom).

Occulus virtual reality glasses helps one “disconnect” from reality; virtually transporting to a place like a football match, a concert etc after a hard, stressful day at work.

On similar lines, Google glasses, in the form of an eyewear displays information on the glasses via internet, accessed through the wearer’s natural language voice commands

A SIRI conversation screenshot

A Smartwatch

Wii Video games

Virtual reality glasses

What the future holds in store…From where we are today, we will continue to create automated technology,

making communication literally “effortless”.

In the next few years we can expect touchscreens being a part of our lives; from the bathroom mirror, to the table and even the living-room touch window.

There may exist devices, technology, applications and communication tools that advise us how to reason, feel and substitute human traits, doing all that a human does, with the remote in your hand. Think “show message” and the pop up would appear wherever you want it to be on.

Technology will flow like oxygen in our body. It will become part of the fabric of our clothes, and the shoes we put on, and the gadgets we no longer see as gadgets but our second skin. A very peculiar imagination would be the ability to share a taste, sensation and smell. I think a shared consciousness and a version of telepathic communication too.

Mood-communication: that our mood (reflected in brain wave patterns) will affect our surroundings in order for them to give feedback and for example lift our mood and shape it in various ways. Imagine that your gym picks up on your general mood and seeks to lift the low spirits by changing the lighting, putting on pumping music and so on.

Dream modification: the dream we wake up from in the morning largely determines in what mood we start the day. So if that last dream period can be modified in a positive direction, it will provide us with a positive outlook, hence make it fruitful.

Impact of technology-2026 on social interaction

Technology will operate more like electricity does today, as an unseen part of the infrastructure around us that we

notice only when it’s not present.

“On the brighter side…

Interaction among humans will become way more often, convenient, economical, with technology seeping into every sphere of life- business, industry. This will encourage cross- cultural ties among countries, making the world almost “virtually boundary-less”.

Nurture family relations and close ties with friends, connecting them instantly. People all over the world, can bond over common interests, goals etc.

One would just need to touch “Screen”, feel “Emotions” and believe “Technology”.

“Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master”

A lot of human emotions will be emulated by technology, reducing dependence on and proximity with humans; Dysfunctionality within families may rise.

If you think about it, this may well remove what is left of being a human from our race. Humans will feel isolated and dejected with the spread of social media.

Applications like Google Translate, translates messages into different languages, but does that really mean that we understand what the other person is saying ?

With so much technology in place, humans may become socially awkward. One needs to disconnect from technology to reconnect with each other and look at the “Real” world from a different perspective.

“Technological Developments determine the possibilities, but

our needs determine which technology will actually break through and remain a facet of

our life”

THANK YOU