Will We Be Truly #Human Again?

When an always “on” technology company like HOOTSUITE announced that they will be “asleep” for a week – so please don’t get in touch, unless as they put it “you want advice on how to be human again after staring at floating heads for 18 months.” - you know we have a problem, a problem linked to mental health & digital exhaustion!!

Depending on which part of the world you are in, plenty of debates swirling around – lockdowns, vaccines, work from home or back to the office, mental health, economy; the list is exhaustive. This long-drawn-out pandemic has accelerated several trends, especially technology ones but is leaving  many of us with questions & deep soul-searching.

But there is one question that we seem to be pushing to the sidelines - “Is technology making us less human?” After 18 plus months of the pandemic, tiredness, not the physical kind, but mental tiredness is catching up with us. City dwellers seem to be more prone to this, where access to nature or wide-open spaces to destress, reconnect & just relax in our concrete jungles are just mirages!

Humans have always been social beings, even during the eras when most of the work was done in farms during the agriculture age or factories during the industrial age. But we were able to connect face to face with colleagues and once the day’s work was done, we left work at work! 

Current times seem to be very different – with us morphing into “social” media, where our online versions do not match the reality of our physical beings! We are more comfortable in our digital skins (talk about the work from home pajamas & casual wear)!

Working from home does have many advantages, but the major challenge is that we seem to be becoming “digital” avatars of ourselves, working with “digital” colleagues, completing digital tasks – DIGITAL HUMANS! Cooped up in front of our computers, televisions sets or digital devices, our home has become our sterile bubbles and we, digital “zombies”.

Hold on, all is not lost. A lot of positives around in the world. We are pulling down boundaries & breaking stereotypes, in many areas that long needed to change. We are focusing on equality & equity, the climate & sustainability.

Let us turn our focus back on the work element where the boundaries between work & personal life no longer exist. Our nights and days are now filled with constant pings & notifications in every possible personal space (even our bathrooms are not safe sanctuaries anymore).

The pandemic has pushed us further online, taking away several simple human pleasures, travel included (not that travel is simple and at times I do admit is can be a hassle).

Let's talk about travel! 

Travel is an activity that makes us truly human – whether it is connecting with family & friends, or just exploring the world and strangers. A spate of recent ads from travel “tech” companies got be thinking; But before, I ramble on, here is slice of what the CMO of Internova travel group – Brent Rivard has to say;

“The old way just became new again. People today have access to a plethora of online booking algorithms to plan their vacations, but artificial intelligence won’t give you a unique, personalized experience, and it doesn’t particularly care if anything goes wrong. Bots are simply programmed to sell, not care. It’s time for humans to take back what’s rightfully theirs.”

And their ad is both dystopian, but also so true!

Coming to my personal experience, when I travelled in May 2021 for the first time in more than 18 months, was like a child taking a plane ride for the very first time! I loved the experience of researching and searching for flights, understanding the realms of new requirements & the sheer excitement of being able to travel!

But what stood out in during my travel, is that human connections seemed more vibrant, more personal & more human!

Whether it was staff on the ground, crew in the air or people we met during our journey, people were eager to talk, interact, share, rebuild that human touch that we seemed to have lost. People seemed eagerness to connect & share and most of us were weary of that topic which has bombarded us every single more – the pandemic! This is truly a time for us to put aside our mobile devices and enjoy the simple things that the world has to offer.

Yes, it was depressing to see very empty airports, shuttered shops – but signs of life were all around – aircraft tails at gates more present that in previous months, longer queues, and fuller planes.

Let me end with Expedia’s recent ad played to “All by yourself”.

It is great to grab a few minutes of “all by yourself” once in a while, but too much of alone time is definitely not “good” time!

Hope you enjoyed the song & maybe even did a slow dance to it!

Will We Be Truly Be Human Again?

Yes, we are and always will be! We have to reconnect as soon as we can!