Technology has evolved rapidly in recent years. In the last two decades alone, we’ve seen the rise of the smartphone, the launch of video calling platforms like Skype, a social media takeover, and the behemoth that is Google has become an everyday verb.
While there is much to love about these advancements, there are also downsides about the way we’re living our lives online. In order to keep ourselves safe, it’s important that we flag what these downsides are.
Lost communication skills
We all reach for our smartphones in the morning and scroll for hours before switching off the bedside light. Alexa will tell us the weather forecast as we decide what to wear in the morning and our devices catch us up on what’s happening in the world through the day. In fact, you’re probably reading this very article on your phone or tablet.
While this has given us many opportunities – especially in the last two years when we’ve not been able to see others in person – it’s also impacting our ability to have proper conversations. Instead of catching up over a coffee with friends, many of us will take a pic of the latte and upload it as an Insta Story. Or we’ll try to watch a film but have a friend WhatsApp us for the full two hours.
This can have an effect both personally and professionally, especially if we’re always relying on messenger services and our DMs to talk to friends and colleagues.
Depending on tech
As well as affecting people on a personal level and workers on a professional level, our overriding dependence on tech is extending to businesses. Again, there are plus points, especially over the course of the pandemic, where we’ve been able to set up work from home using new tech.
However, there are times when things can go wrong. For instance, self-scan machines in supermarkets have become a major headache for shoppers and shop workers alike. Where once there might be a slight delay while the till operator asked for a barcode, now we regularly hear that there’s an unexpected in in the bagging area. Sometimes, tech doesn’t reign supreme.
Safety risks
Online safety is a huge concern. From hackers and scammers trying to get our details, to huge corporations experiencing security breaches and digital currencies being compromised, there are lots of reasons to step away from advanced technologies for a little while.
In fact, technology lawyers have to constantly brush up on the latest safety risks as there is always something new to tackle. These new ways that hackers access our information is why securing online accounts and changing passwords is crucial.
Career impact
There’s also the need to constant retrain staff. With new software comes more training courses, taking workers away from their roles as they gen up on the latest information.
Also, there’s the issue of being stuck with tech that’s out of date until the contract is up. This can have a negative effect on the business as customers go elsewhere.
On a personal level, job candidates must have more and more tech-based skills in order to get ahead. Where once it was just knowing your way around Microsoft Office, there’s now an expectation to understand InDesign and different CMS, while having advanced knowledge of programmes that often have nothing to do with the job itself.
What are the negatives that you’ve picked up on?