Community and connection. If we are made to have community, why then do we have difficulty in achieving it and what causes us to dis-connect with others?

In architecture they say “form follows function” but I almost think the opposite is true when it comes to designing a society: function follows form. How we build the structures in our society determines how we function in that society. The structure of modern society has been built around technology and technological advances. Consequently those technology structures determines how we function individually and collectively.

I am always fascinated with the question about innovation and change- does this new idea, technology, gadget enhance society or detract from it? Are new fangled things just creating change for change sake or do they serve a real purpose? What are the benefits and risks to society?

It seems we embrace the idea of something new sometimes before we think about the repercussions. And, it is not only thinking about the effect the new technology may have on what we currently experience but also the impact on the future.

Years ago I heard someone speak about the idea of transportation. For a time, train travel was king. There were railroads dotted across the country. Unfortunately, the various railroad companies didn’t think in terms of connection - just the possibility of their own travel line. The tracks were privately owned by different companies and so it was hard to connect from one station to the next. In Baltimore there were at least four different railroad stations across town, each associated with a different railroad company. There were no connecting tracks from one station to another. So if you came to town from a small town in Eastern Pennsylvania with the hope to travel by train to Ohio and beyond, you took the Maryland Pennsylvania RR (MaPa) to its station and then would have to take a horse drawn cab to the Baltimore Ohio station across town.

If the railroad innovators had thought about the goal of transportation, they would’ve focused on the idea of connection both in their current situation (connecting all rail lines) and connecting modes of transportation as the future unfolded. When air travel became prevalent the trains didn’t get involved and didn’t plan to expand the rail lines to the air fields. Wouldn’t it be nice now to travel to the airport without having to rely on congested highways? Trains can move more people much faster than the snarl ups and parking lot waits of the individual cars on the highways of today. It is a hassle to fly (forget about the TSA requirements) and part of it is the trouble in actually getting to the airport.

Technology can do that if we are not careful: the thing that is meant to make our lives easier and bring us together can make life harder and push us further apart. The telephone was made to bring us together. “Reach out and touch someone” the ads promised. Connecting by phone, hearing the actual voice of a loved one, distant relative or complete stranger living across the country or world is still amazing. Yet, the phone can keep a distance between speakers. You don’t get to see the eyes and the expressions on one’s face as the speaker talks. Consequently words can be spoken via the telephone that would never be said face to face. Many a household has heard the slam of a telephone in mid conversation as the listener became upset or enraged over the comment from the one on the other end of the line.

The future generation of the phone, the internet and all that it entails, has also brought the world together and apart. The technology of writing the words via email, twitter or Instagram can be even worse than what is actually said in a phone conversation. We are witnessing the outcome of vitriol towards one another- it tears at the fabric of community and civilization. And, all that can be accomplished via the internet can be done solo. Not only can we alienate others by our words, we can be physically alienated as we say them. That which was designed to bring us together has in fact, drawn us apart.

In pondering the question if technology makes us more lonely, I have come across conflicting ideas and studies. No surprise that some of the studies were sponsored by tech companies and therefore felt that technology/social media are good in bringing people together. And so technology can be. Many people have connected through finding lost friends or relatives via social media. People with common interests or concerns can find like minded individuals and discover that they are not the only one who thinks a certain way or has had a unique experience. I have met many wonderful, interesting and courageous people through this blog, which would not have occurred even twenty years ago.

I also saw studies looking at technology- Facebook and the like- and how being tied to social media and our computers affects individuals and their feelings of connection. The Atlantic magazine has a classic 2012 article about Facebook and loneliness. In it they noted that, “within this world of instant and absolute communication, unbounded by limits of time or space, we suffer from unprecedented alienation. We have never been more detached from one another, or lonelier.” They begin the article around the death of Yvette Vickers, a once B-movie actress who ended up dying alone in her home and was not found until @ six months after the fact by a neighbor. In finding the remains of Ms. Vickers, the neighbor also found the computer still on. Apparently, Ms. Vickers had no one in her life- no actual community or connection. She died as she was trying to reach out electronically to anyone who would listen.

With technology, it seems to be prudent to explore the idea of what tech is doing and not doing for us as a society. I am not advocating throwing the baby out with the bath water but perhaps we need a careful reasoning and thought process of what are the gains and losses with any new technology. Of course, there will always be cumulative problems or unforeseen/unpredicted outcomes but that shouldn’t negate the fact that we should think things through.

It makes me think of the Amish viewpoint of evaluating new technology. While I don’t agree with the lifestyle per se, I do like the idea that that we can (and should) pick what and how we choose to interact as part of being a modern society. I have heard that one of the reasons some of the Amish sects choose not to own or drive cars is that they feel that the automobile impacts the family and the way the community engages with one another. Certainly the solo driver going to work, stores, play, school, etc. bears out those fears.

There is an interesting project underway looking into using old and new technology in the shipping business: How can combining wind power and current boats be used in a way to reduce fuel consumption. By applying the modern sailing techniques (as learned through America’s Cup challenges) and more efficient engines, different companies from various countries (US, Japan, Denmark, Norway) are hoping to reduce fuel consumption on the large container ships by twenty percent or so. Click here to read the article.

What about you? Do you think about our fast pace technology and what it may or may not be doing to society? Have you seen technology impact your community or your connections with one another? Positively? Negatively?

Next week we will talk about ways to counter the negative effects of technology. Things we can do so that we can be in control and choose the best part of technology and maintain our sense of community and connection.