For some time, I’ve been wondering about the ongoing migration from inter-human to virtual contact. The vacuum principle in yesterday’s blog shed new light. I think, feel and believe that the main cause for the vacuum in inter-human contact was – and still is – urbanisation, the human migration from villages to (mega) cities. Moreover, population growth added to its impact.
Technology companies jumped into that vacuum. Some of the earliest companies were: Netscape internet browser (1994), Match.com internet dating (1995), Google (1998), Facebook (2004), Apple’s iPhone (2007). Within almost a decade, inter-human contact was migrating to virtual contact. However, virtual contact brought new security issues, like fake news websites, identity theft, phishing, scamming, trolling.
These security issues are all about trust, distrust and mistrust. Trust is essential for humans and is also part of companies’ business models (eg, paid memberships, verified users). Recently, I became aware of a Dutch dating headhunter that charges more than 13,000 euros for finding and validating romantic interests for their clients – a.k.a. possibly maybes.
Yesterday, it suddenly dawned on me that this is yet another example of the paradigm shift from the belief system the Truth to the belief system Data-Info; please see my 2018 blog. This shift is already visible in China’s 2020 Social Credit System (my 2017 blog). It won’t take long before the 1997 sci-fi movie Gattaca will become true: no dating without a DNA match.
The term post-truth world is much older than one might assume. In 1873, German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche published his essay On truth and lies in a nonmoral sense. This essay argues “that humans create truth about the world through their use of metaphor, myth, and poetry” (Wiki). Also see my June 2019 blog: The truth is a human perspective.
In the absence of physical deeds, the mistrust in words and/or intentions is becoming “legendary“. More and more people even prefer texting above making a phone call. especially millennials (eg, CNN-2011, PEW-2015, source-2015, 2016 blog, Guardian-2017). A 2017 Psychology Today article asks a valid question: Are You Hiding Behind Your Texts?
Obviously, efficiency does play a role: how often does someone pick up the phone when you call? Often you get voicemail. I prefer texting above using someone’s voicemail. Hence, I switched off that option on my iPhone.
“We’re losing social skills, the human interaction skills, how to read a person’s mood, to read their body language, how to be patient until the moment is right to make or press a point. Too much exclusive use of electronic information dehumanises what is a very, very important part of community life and living together.” A quote from newspaper comments by Vincent Nichols (b. 1945), the Archbishop of Westminster.
Call Me Maybe (2011) by Carly Rae Jepsen
artist, lyrics, video, Wiki-1, Wiki-2
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless stated otherwise
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