Technology has led us to be more efficient and even smarter with so much information at our fingertips. Yes, technology has led our world to provide early detection of medical conditions and less invasive medical procedures along with shorter hospital stays. There is, however a downside; technology has created a loss of human contact and interpersonal social relationships.
We are busier than ever and research has shown we check our mail once an hour on average. One study showed almost 60% of us check our devices as soon as an email arrives and over 80% check emails even while on vacation.
We are so out of touch with personal contact that we now keep our phones on the dinner table, our use of spelling and grammar skills have declined, and children would rather play video games than play outside. A Kaiser Family Foundation study found children spend up to 75 hours weekly using combined technology of TV, video games, and internet usage. Would you be surprised to learn that the population of Facebook is larger than that of China? Or that more people own a mobile device than a toothbrush? Scary, isn’t it!
Maybe I sound like a dinosaur but doesn’t this look like we are disconnecting from human contact? Sherry Turkle, who wrote “Alone Together” and “Reclaiming Conversation” believes that the ability to text and email allow us to frame our vision of our personalities and control how we want to be perceived, rather than who we really are. Take time to watch her fascinating “Ted Talk” on this subject.
Human emotion is powerful and without facial expression, vocal tone, and body language, it’s easy to convey the wrong message. We’ve become our emojis and smiley faces that don’t properly transport our true feelings. Nothing replaces a mom’s hug, a shared memory, a family outing, reuniting with an old friend, touch and consolation when needed, or working out solutions in person via conversation.
A few years ago, Scott Dockter, CEO of PBD Worldwide Fulfillment Services Inc., decided to take Casual Friday one step further, and created email-free Fridays, where employees are encouraged to talk offline to resolve issues and pick up the phone or meet in person. As a result, he saw an 80 percent email drop-off in the first year and noticed a reduction of unnecessary reports sent and excessive cc’ing. Wow, that’s a huge accomplishment.
Can you take this challenge? Is it possible for you to go on an email/texting “diet”? Is it possible to feed your soul with human contact for an hour a day? You may be surprised how good you feel when you disconnect and enjoy life in a more personal way.
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