Beyond Words
The Changing Paradigm of Interpersonal Signals: Adapting to AI
Navigating the intricate maze of post-Soviet heritage and the dynamic landscapes of the United States, I found myself at the crossroads of a societal disruption. This disruption, echoing through our communication norms of different civilizations and hints at a profound shift on the horizon through the inventions of tomorrow. Looking at tech mediums as tools of disruption lets explore how direction of evolution on the individual level impacts the concepts of smart cities and their societies. What stands behind the uncertainties and promises that intertwine our past, present, and the AI-driven future?
Disruption
New York, with its towering skyscrapers and unending energy, became my home. Yet one of the largest and developed cities of the world couldn’t help my feeling of loneliness for those initial years. I entered community college the second year of immigration, continuing my education. With its myriad experiences and studies, one reading stood out, resonating deeply with my own feelings I struggled labeling.
“Digital Disconnect: How Capitalism is Turning the Internet Against Democracy” by Robert W. McChesney wasn’t just another book to me. Though it wasn't the first book about social disconnect as an effect for technologist development. Already in 1962 Marshall McLuhan opened the topic of printing press and future of media breaking the barriers of space and time forever changing society in his book “The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man”. However, Robert W. McChesney made me finally understand the reason of my feeling of social displace.
I was transported back to my days in Belarus, where communication was raw and unfiltered. Millennial or earlier coming from a country like Belarus (many other nations can relate) you probably recall those days untouched by the persistent buzz of cellphones — a world where throwing pebbles on windows was the equivalent of a modern-day text message or New York culture of emails.
June 2012: spontaneous interactions were commonplace in my life in Belarus: friends would just dropped by my ‘flat’ without a call or knock, simply on a whim to see if I was home, a mere chat could led to an impromptu road trip to St. Petersburg, Russia. Unreached by first call by my friends would trigger series of calls to relatives and others, and even home visit, all within 2 hours, to make sure I was alright.
Fast forward to a month later in New York, and the dynamics shifted dramatically. Here, the only acquaintance I had insisted on emails for general communication, messages for priorities, and phone calls only for emergencies. Such a change was disrupting and isolating. Not only the feeling of loneliness kicked in, but only after several years I realized the importance of some other characteristics of us as humans: our senses.
“The medium is the message.” — Marshall McLuhan
How integral our senses are in truly understanding and connecting with another person in an age of technological mediums! Consider this: what truly differentiates a call from a text message? For many, it might seem trivial. Even a regular question “How are you?” can create such a plethora of perceptions. A text might coldly state, “I’m fine. Thanks!” Yet, a voice, with its undertones of fatigue or happiness, stress or joy, speaks volumes. It may hint at unsaid emotions or background noises that a mere text could never convey. Take it a notch higher — face-to-face interactions. Here, every gesture, every glance matters and contributes to strong and meaningful connection with the support group circling back into mental wellness.
“I’m not feeling well but I don’t want to admit” — text message becomes just our perception of the words, it doesn’t hold true information about the person who’s messaging.
Smart Cities
For a time, New York City, in my eyes, epitomized societal evolution. I started taking courses in Architecture, smart cities, innovation and design thinking, selfish-like, seeking confirmation of my own truth. I couldn’t stand to think that in comparison with my European life, NY style of relationships was the future. I found what i was looking for.
The concept of Smart Cities that drives innovation is simple and it comes down to the idea of interaction, learning and bouncing ideas of each other. In order to have such interaction smart cities adopt a concept of 15 mins: people should live 15 mins walking distance to any possible need: pharmacy, grocery, school, job, doctor, public gathering center and should adopt a communal ecosystem or sharing the space and goods.
You would think New York fits well?! This is where technology comes against us — New Yorkers are surrounded with so many people that we barely build true connections and are constantly looking for quietness and solitude. Headphones, sunglasses, phone — technically blocking 3 out of 6 senses: vision, hearing, and proprioception. This blocking mechanisms are religiously got put next to the entrance so we wont forget them. What does it do to our perception of the world? The sense numbing tendencies are already scientifically confirmed! (Sensory Disruption in Modern Living and the Emergence of Sensory Inequities, Kara C. Hoover)
And social media, with its curated realities, further exacerbated this divide .We can now visually presive more information then ever, but how real is it ? Social media is another simulation — visual that is selected to be presentable.
AI
Is it a solution for overwhelming communication channels we were looking for to clear some time for communication that matters, or an additional layer that will increase the volume for consumption?
ChatGPT, Help me to write an email and respond to the last message.
In 2019 I suffered with a condition that I couldn’t find a diagnosis for. I did not have a menstrual circle for 16 months. I had a perfect body, financial freedom traveling the world, and mental therapist calls twice a week. One thing wasn’t right for sure, but no one could say what. Normally being a social epicenter I now was running away not only from myself but from the new type of hollow communication that in a massive volume surrounds every one of us leaving us no capacity for friend, family, or ourselves.
The reason behind my issue was found with help of a friend, who practiced alternative medicine: We are a tired generation. Just look at our grandparents and parents! Sometimes it seems they have more energy than we do, but how? They don’t need to process as much information as we do!
So if in the ecosystem of a high supply of information AI appeared as a solution, Can AI be the panacea we seek, helping us navigate this overload? Or will it further plunge us into the abyss?
How can AI help to process information to give us back time and energy? Or will there be any way back at this point? Since AI can process and create content, it means we can find ourselves in the same situation of processing possibly even bigger volumes and what type of solutions would appear in response to the high demand at that point? Neurochips, like NeuroLink that will allow us to process information at the speed of its creation with AI?
Wrap-up
As we stand on the cusp of a technological revolution, we must ponder our choices. Do we let technology overshadow genuine human connections? Or do we seek a harmonious blend, ensuring that technology serves as a tool, amplifying our human experiences rather than replacing them? The choice is ours to make.
