The use of technology and all accompanying implications - 17 April 2013

Day 3 – Wednesday

Today I woke up with a feeling of anxiousness. I work up with a troubled feeling unable to sleep I tried meditating. After reading on medication techniques and the number of people who have seen real benefit from the exercise in my Entrepreneurial Strategies readings. However this proved to a fruitless exercise, I could not keep my mind clear for longer than 2 minutes. After reading that 10minutesis a standard norm for beginners I decided to leave this exercise for another day.

All that kept springing in my mind is what submission is due for what date. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’m forgetting something. So as late is this is.. Today is the day I buy a diary, you probably wondering how in been getting through the program all this time. The answer is simple. The beauty of technology, being able to ask a friend what needs to be done for tomorrow has been a revelation that I have accepted with open arms.

 At what cost has this come at?

I ask this question as I have seen the rise in the use of technology in communicating and discussing group work. As convenient as this method of communication is, we need to ask ourselves to what extent are we willing to sacrifice face to face human communication and the benefits which come with that. As easy as it easy to communicate to each other via social media, how long are we willing for this to erode human interaction? The meaning is sometimes lost on social media as we don’t pay full attention to what is being discussed and the ability to easy switch from a conversation should be a worrying factor, furthermore some people aren’t as effective in expressing themselves through this platform. These people’s input is thus being overlooked if they can’t easily participate.

I raise this point as I feel that any business communication should be done in person as far as possible. Especially when it comes to issues that need to be discussed before getting to a group decision. The value of human interaction should never be underestimated.

However with that said it may be a question of a generational shift. The tech savvy youth seem to be perfectly comfortable with using technology for their everyday communication. Are these the lessons we need to learn and be able to adapt to an ever evolving world? The amount of technological advancements has made all of us to wake up to the fact that we need to get in tune with the internet and advancements attached to it. If we are to survive as entrepreneurs, the ability to adapt and be flexible to the world around you is the only way to success. The world is changing, that’s a fact. The question is do you change with it and adapt to new opportunities that may present themselves with every change that comes about, or do you refuse to bend to the will of an evolving species? The answer to this question will determine where you find yourself in 20 year time.