The Importance of Human Connecting In An Increasingly Digitalised World
It’s not an understatement to say that most of us live our lives in front of a screen. We wake up and look at our phones, arrive at the office and stare at a computer display all day, and then spend our evenings slumped on the couch as the light of the TV washes over us.
Even the aspects of our existence that don’t directly involve technology are micromanaged by digital systems. From facial recognition-enabled surveillance in public spaces, to the software that manages everything from the financial markets to political elections, the modern world is neck-deep in tech.
In this context, human connections are more important than ever. Let’s look at how this plays out in several scenarios.
Social media and society
A typical person spends 147 minutes using social networking sites each day, according to the latest statistics.
This makes face-to-face interactions less commonplace, yet arguably a more valuable asset of relationship-building.
While we can keep in touch with friends and family members over long distances, it’s vital that we don’t let social media erode our links with those who are based nearby, and even those who share the same household. It’s all about avoiding empathy drain, and seeing others as flesh and blood beings, not just avatars on a virtual message board.
The business perspective
For business leaders, effective communication is a must-have skill. And while it’s obviously useful to be a dab hand at handling emails, replying to texts and talking on conference calls, maintaining human connections is about more than that.
The simple act of maintaining eye contact is a powerful tool for communication and negotiation, for example. So much of what we take from meetings comes from not just our words, but our expressions, our tone of voice and our body language.
Virtual meeting software has come some way to address this, but that just means that keeping old-school skills in your arsenal is more necessary now than ever before.
The matter of money
Today, with the help of an all-in-one investment app, anyone can put their money to work and see solid returns, all without needing to ever speak to a professional or get to grips with the markets themselves.
However, the fact that financial advisors are not only surviving, but actually thriving in this digital age is a sign of how much we value human connections over raw, software-led experiences.
A lot of this comes down to trust. When we can meet the person who’s going to take our finances into their hands, we feel more at ease than if we are asked to defer to software algorithms.
The harmonious reality
The underlying point that’s worth bringing to the surface as we wrap up is not that digital technology is inherently bad or inherently good. Rather it’s true that so long as we use it wisely, our relationship with it can be one of harmony and societal progression.
Take the example of financial advisors we just discussed. These professionals are able to forge strong relationships with clients, while still using the latest digital tools to do their jobs more effectively, and keep their clients happy.
The same goes for all the other things we’ve touched on. Social media can bring us together, even if much of the focus at the moment is on how it drives a wedge between us. And businesses can blossom by making sure to leverage communication tools in conjunction with tried and tested skills for connection with colleagues and customers. In short, the future is bright, if we want it to be.
This is a collaborative post.
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