In our home lives and in business, digital technologies are changing the ways in which we trade, shop, learn, make decisions and relate to each other. We’ve become addicted to the dominant five – Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft.
Research shows that emotion drives attention, and today people place a premium on experiences. Our digital technology tools — from augmented reality to online ordering and dating sites — can provide good experiences, but for all their wonderful advances, they can’t replace human intimacy, friendly service or rewarding offline connections.
So the question becomes: how do we take advantage of all the benefits new technologies offer, while maintaining our humanity?
Studies show that face-to-face contact is especially important in the digital age. Many studies tell us that we’re lonelier and unhappier than we were in the decades before the Internet age. The evidence re-enforces what we instinctively feel – that offline social relationships remain as essential to health as food and sleep.
I do believe that we and our families will look back in these years and marvel at the pace of change we are currently experiencing, and also the big economic, moral and ethical opportunities and challenges that now lie before us.
Our challenge is to grasp these opportunities in a way that enlarges and enriches (rather than diminishes) the lives of those around us. Don’t forget the people. Don’t forget direct human contact.
Merry Christmas and seasons greetings to all of you. May you spend this time meaningfully with the people close to your heart.
May you create new and wonderful memories. May your year be filled with happiness, health, luck, and love. Wishing you all the best in 2019