Not too long ago, when I visited restaurants, grocery stores and other service providers, I knew the names of the hostesses, waiters, service staff and they knew me by name. Today with the adoption of technology I do not know anyone by name.
The technology adoption and shift in consumer behaviors over the past ten years has changed the buying behaviors and social landscape in which we do business. Our community linkages and social connectors are connected virtually and now disconnected in reality, the “face to the place” is gone.
We are operating in a world of instant gratification, the products and services we consume are mostly automated, faceless and without social interaction. We use google and Amazon for instant interaction, gratification and access to facts and information in place of interacting with people around us and asking questions. Google is our go to source for information via the smart phone, not to our elders, associates, family and friends – another level of interaction is gone!
So too are our interactions with people when we book vacations, hotels, flights, cruises, purchase a house. We depend on data, artificial intelligence and the marketing push to inform our decisions, gone is the word of mouth and personal experiences.
Technology is a great asset and tool, however we should be cognizant of our surroundings, people and experiences when interacting with each other, sharing tacit knowledge – use technology to support of our experiences not to lead them! We are allowing technology to be a massive social disruptor and societal disconnector, human prosperity depends on face to face interactions, community and social outings.
We as humans claim a patent on higher consciousness. We represent ourselves as singular and unique in the way we reason, work, discover, invent and create. Technology has also left us with many blind spots, similar to driving without a rear view mirror. The blind spot is how we use technology, it is now the leader of social norms rather than an enabler, the result is societal disconnect and disruption of the traditional family fabric.
Change is great, however the social impacts and outcomes we leave behind creates social disconnect. We have the ability to manage our evolution and determine how and when we progress. We can use this ability to both grow and evolve without destroying our social fabric.
Author: Dave Gajadhar
Contact us: ResultantGroup Your business modernization, transition and blockchain advisors.
Email: dgajadhar@resultantgroup.com
Twitter:
@dgajadar
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