De-Localized

I've had some interesting conversations about the merits of technology and how our technological devices affect our lives - conversations that explored the cultural, physical and psychological connotations of constant access to global connectivity.  I've heard some fairly persuasive arguments about the ability to build connections that otherwise wouldn't be possible, to expose people to phenomena and perspectives that they would never have been able to see a hundred years ago.  And I can accede that there is some truth in these arguments.

Still, there's at least one aspect of our technological lives that I dread.  Whatever wonderful experiences come from our technological interactions, they come at an absolute trade-off: immersing our sensory and mental focus on information flowing through the internet takes it away from our immediate surroundings.  We are becoming de-localized, in almost every sense.

When I was in the Peace Corps, I lived without electricity in a country that spoke a different language from the one I grew up speaking.  Multiple layers of necessity kept my mind in the present.  And it was wonderful.  I discovered the joy inherent in a thousand simple tasks - bathing myself with a cup and a bucket, walking to the market, negotiating for produce.  Even waiting at the well line for water.  With the expectation of constant external stimulation removed, I found myself instead experiencing insignificant moments with a life-enriching relish that escapes me most of the time in my American life.

Even in the cases where digital interactions simply replace analog versions of the same activity (for instance, when we chat with people online, rather than face to face), it feels like something is lost.  Anecdotal as this may seem, consider the following - there's plenty of data to document the hormonal chain of responses that begin when you gaze into another person's eyes.  When we communicate with each other, its about more than just a simple transfer of verbal information.  We read and understand each other in countless ways that we probably haven't understood and documented.  When we cast aside that analog form of communication and replace it with text messages, we can't even quantify all the dimensions of connection that we've thrown away.