Connection leaves us disconnected
We live in a world where people are more connected than they’ve
ever been before.
Blogs and networking sites give us real time information about
the lives of our friends and family. When a new baby is born,
photos are shared through online sites. Memorials to those who have
died are posted.
Connection leaves us disconnected
We live in a world where people are more connected than they’ve ever been before.
Blogs and networking sites give us real time information about the lives of our friends and family. When a new baby is born, photos are shared through online sites. Memorials to those who have died are posted.Teens share the mundane moments of their lives on MySpace. Coworkers communicate through e-mail or instant messenger rather than face to face.
Cell phones have become ubiquitous – we can stay in touch with those at work or at home by pressing just one button.
Even those searching for love are turning to computers more and more often with online dating services that widen their search for a soul mate.
But for all the advances, there are just some things technology shouldn’t try to replace – such as human interaction.
So much of communication between people is done without words. Most studies have found nonverbal communication makes up more than 50 percent of our understanding of other people. The ways we share how we are feeling come out in the fluctuation of our voices, a hint of a smile on our faces or even ways we can’t control – such as the dilation of our pupils when we gaze upon someone we find attractive.
All these cues are lost when technology puts up barriers between us.
A recent invention is taking the disconnection to a new level. One company has designed a T-shirt they have dubbed the “hug shirt.” The shirt is not available for purchase yet and a price tag has not been decided on.
With bluetooth technology and a host of sensors, the shirt allows friends or family members to send “hugs” to the wearer via cell phone text messages. The t-shirt sensors then replicate the feel of a human hug – down to the warmth and pressure of the person sending the hug if they also have a hug shirt on.
The company Web site has a statement that maintains the shirt is not meant to replace human contact but to “make you happy when you are away on business or other reasons.”
Time magazine named the new shirt one of the best inventions of 2006, but we beg to differ. We can’t imagine how cotton and sensors could ever match the warmth and safeness projected in a real human hug.
Turn off the computer, the cell phone, the personal digital assistants and the hug shirt – and turn to the person nearest you – its time to reconnect.
