The network of human interaction has been altered. It has been altered by the species itself.
There was a day, not so long ago, when humans formed healthy communities, communities that sustained all but a few.
Technology is fast altering human connections to other humans. We are teaching our babies and children to talk to machines that mimic human responses. Our species has successfully anthropomorphized devices.
It has yet to be seen how this will affect the future of the species.
I miss shelling garden peas and talking with my Granny on the porch.
Worldly
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Quote
“Walking is man’s best medicine.”
Hippocrates
460 BC – 377 BC
Maybe it is not all bad. Perhaps we’re finding connections in other ways. Like, for instance, through this blog of yours. I wouldn’t despair just yet…. (But no robot machines for me like Alexa and that other one….) …Joan
Joan, good points. How things will unfold has yet to be seen, and I am sure that not all that is going on is perceivable. This entry was inspired by watching a video where a three year old was requesting a serenade of Happy Birthday on his birthday. I wondered what he thought of the smart phone singing him Happy Birthday, as he asked it to. He was more delighted by the attentions of the telephone, than he was by his family singing the same song to him earlier in the video. This is unprecedented in human social history.
We’ve anthropomorphized machines ever since the car and boat, she/he are special and we attribute them with likes and dislikes. There’s no doubt people can have the same fondness for their car ‘Old Bessie’ as they used to have for a cow of the same name. There are certain positives to that as not everyone has lots of friendly human interaction.
When it comes to the child being enthused by Alexa, or such, singing Happy Birthday, it could simply be a child’s glee at being successful at manipulating their environment. At that age their successes can be few and far between.
Teri, you could be correct. I certainly don’t like to think that children and young people would turn a to a cell phone screen when they needed to talk through one of their problems.
I am enjoying the positive feedback, thanks Joan and Teri! Being right is highly overrated.