BY MUKHTAR AHMAD FAROOQI
Given the technological prowess available to humans today, culture has really radically altered nature and even merged with nature. In such a scenario we need to evolve new ways of living, relating and experiencing the presence of each other. In other words, ours have become an “engineered nature “.By engineered nature I mean a nature that has been so artificially and technologically created that it almost eats itself like a uroboros snake .In this context we need to consider a term called hyper reality that is hypothetical inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from fantasy, especially in technologically advanced cultures like ours. There was a time when it was considered that nature of a person is determined by its genetic makeup but now it is considered that nature is determined by how we are nurtured in a particular environment. This does not mean that I am against using that has made the entire world a village. But being a tech savvy I encourage its use to the extent that it does not engineer our nature and lifestyle as we see now a days. Technology in the form of prosthesis has given an eye, limb, tooth, heart valve, arm, hand etc. to the people needy of that and have given them a life which is worth living. In bionics it has resulted in manufacture of optimized and efficient products by studying biological methods and systems found in nature. A classical example is the development of dirt and water repellent paint from the observation that the surface of the lotus flower plant is practically unsticky. (Lotus effect)
Social Media is one such computer mediated technology that has helped people connect with near and dear ones to share information and ideas. On the one side they have united lost family members or found organ donors but on the flipside these platforms are literally making people addicted to the electronic devices. We all are acquainted with some popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram etc. But these tech companies are using their business models to keep us engaged on the screen. All tech giants which are mostly located in Silicon Valley use advertisers as customers and we as users are being sold. Using AI (Artificial Intelligence) they know what we like and when to recommend such things to us irrespective of our willingness. In a way it is changing our very perspective of different domains of life. Social Media is making us devoid of humanistic values of sympathy or empathy because when someone meets any kind of accident we as pedestrians rather than helping the injured starting sharing the video on social media for likes, shares and comments.
There is a documentary on Netflix titled “Social Dilemma” wherein some ex- employees of tech giants like Google, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest etc. are interviewed about their experiences on business models of tech companies and its effects on human behavior. According to one Tristan Harris which has worked as Design Ethicist in Google in the name of using AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools they are manipulating the human nature that is going to create an existential threat to human society at large in future if the issue is not understood and taken care of at earliest.
Social Media has become hub of fake news/disinformation which is threatening societies around world where it spreads like a virus and literally it is sometimes impossible to judge which news is fake and which one is real. Social Media has been used to polarize elections in the recent past mostly using unethical practices. Plastic surgeons have coined term Snapchat Dysmorphic wherein plastic surgery is done to look like selfie doodles. Author Jaron Lanier of “Ten Arguments for Deleting Our Social Media Account Right Now” tells about how these accounts are wrecking our lives.
These platforms build temptation in us of touching the mobile phone within a space of few minutes without even we being aware of that. One such example is when we are eating our dinner/lunch, our attention remains towards the phone especially in younger ones who are eager to reply for some WhatsApp or other message that may have been received. Younger generation is becoming arrogant and depressed (developed behavioural problems) due to the excessive use electronic devices or screen time.
Critics complain that nature –culture dualism is an undesirable Cartesian legacy. That is to say that we have to use technology to the extent that it does not result in the loss of one’s individual self and identity. Technology should have been governed by us but rather it is seen that we are run by technology thereby engineering our nature to the extent that an individual will lose its self. Another example is that when we try to rewind things just few years back people when returned home used to spent time with their family members discussing about what to do and what not to do but today everything is in contrast as whenever we visit any house during evening hours we usually get to see that everyone is bowing not to Allah or God but to mobile phone just doing chatting/other unnecessary things rather using it for constructive purposes.
Albert Einstein once said that “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” This quote is appropriate for those people who assemble together in any restaurant or tourist destination and get sticked to their mobile phones rather than interacting to each other. That is to say that we should use technology for learning or constructive purposes rather than wasting time by being online all the time on any social networking /blogging site resulting in becoming addict of that which is not absolutely necessary and devoiding us of our social values and thereby engineering our natural ability of being a social animal.
PS: Social media is sometimes blessing in disguise but it has addictive properties and that part of technology can be damaging and detrimental to our personal lives. We get extremely involved (especially teenagers) that leads to social isolation. This age group is more vulnerable to cyberbullying, frauds or giving them access to sensitive(pornographic) content which can have serious consequences(heinous crimes) that are explicit in our societies. We should use screen time for productive activities and limit time wasted on these apps. If we do some research on the life of developers of these tech companies, we come to know that their own children or they themselves don’t use these apps being aware of its drawbacks as already discussed. Classic example of which is Steve Jobs who described iPad as extraordinary gadget on its launch in 2009 .After few weeks upon being asked by NYT reporter that “Your children must be enjoying iPad”, he gave a shocking reply that they don’t use that device. If we want to keep the social fabric and values of our society intact, then in my viewpoint children upto the age of at least 16 shouldn’t be allowed to use social media at all especially where content to being accessed is uncontrolled in nature.
The author can be reached at mukhtar.farooqi37@gmail.com