Monday 18 November 2013

Synthetic World

As of 5th November 2013, earth is hosting 7.19 billion of human lifes1 an ever up rising rate from its first broke the 1 billion record, in 18042.  This intellectual creature has evolved not only to dwell in physical comfort but has gone to the next level of self-indulgence in the cyberspace. Perhaps Abraham Maslow (1943) was right about his theory of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs.


Human has learned to adapt better in this planet and with the help of our over-size brain, many things has been developed, we call it “Technology” which not only help us to is cope better in our survival but become a master of territorial freaks.

The world in the 19th century is very much a different living but not much less the greed. It’s the year Napoleon proclaimed emperor of France and rule for 15 years, of mostly warfare with the British. Forty years later, the invention of the telegraph by Samuel Morse, on 24th of May 1844, transmitted an enigmatic question, “What hath God wrought?” evidenced how we enjoy communicate with each other by clicking of fingers via a device. Not long thereafter, 1868, a team of three namely Christopher Sholes, Carlos Glidden and Samuel Soule have patented their typewriter where the modern QWERTYUIOP keyboard layout is still resembling the same though the original notion is to avoid mechanical jamming then3. Look like we get all our fingers started to work in symphony now.

Done with the visual communication, so much so does Professor Alexander Graham Bell, a Professor of Vocal Physiology at Boston, a professor who devoted in teaching the mute and deaf, invented the machine call Telephone that allow people to talk via electricity and became one of the most important invention that transformed the 20th century3.

No satisfy with the auditory pleasure, television was made commercialized in 1920, the new era of communication open ways to sematic graphic presentation, i.e. combining concepts and methods from visual art, perceptual psychology, information processing, and cognitive science, helping ideas and information broadcast to wide audience in a split of second, so does its name suggest, tele means far and vision is by sight. It has since not only shape the ways of advertisement and government propagation but the way human activities and interaction to our nature.

Data
Average time spent watching television (U.S.)
5:11 hours
White
5:02
Black
7:12
Hispanic
4:35
Asian
3:14
Years the average person will have spent watching TV
9 years
Family Television Statistics
Percentage of households that possess at least one television
99%
Number of TV sets in the average U.S. household
2.24
Percentage of U.S. homes with three or more TV sets
65%
Percentage of Americans that regularly watch television while eating dinner
67%
Percentage of Americans who pay for cable TV
56%
Number of videos rented daily in the U.S.
6 million
Percentage of Americans who say they watch too much TV
49%
Child Television Statistics
Number of minutes per week that the average child watches television
1,480
Percent of 4-6 year-olds who, when asked to choose between watching TV and spending time with their fathers, preferred television
54%
Hours per year the average American youth spends in school
900 hours
Hours per year the average American youth watches television
1,200
Number of violent acts seen on TV by age 18
150,000
Number of 30 second TV commercials seen in a year by an average child
16,000

Source: http://www.statisticbrain.com/television-watching-statistics/


It’s scary to if you compare the world average life expectancy of 67, 88 years4 with the total of 9 years we glue our eyes onto the TV, it’s about 20% after minus the 8hours sleep per day. A working adult with another 8hours at works then he might as well means other than work& sleep it’s the TV. 

In 1959, two American engineers, Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce, work for Texas Instrument and Fairchild Semiconductor respectively, has crush a large amount of circuitry into a very  tiny space by invention of all modern digital brain, call microchip. The invention has shrunk the size of all electronic devices including computer and kill thousands of costly manhours for the same job3. The repercussion of such is none other than an epidemic of CVS (computer vision syndrome) and others associated dieses (e.g. myopia, glaucoma, musculoskeletal disorders, tendon fatigue and Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)& heart attack) which has silently take the toll of its user freedom5.

It’s not too exaggerating for the University College London to claim 4 hours or more, in front of computer increase the likelihood by 125% risk for heart attack than those spend 2 hours or lesser. While human was initially designed to hunt for food in the wild, now fury the economy warfare by prolong sitting in front of the screen which what it does is cutting down 90% of heart-healthy enzyme, lipoprotein lipase and causing inflammation and metabolic problem6.  Mr. Ong, 23, from Malaysia, was reported to die as a result of heart-attack induced by prolong staying in the virtual world of computer7.

So what does the above proof in relevant to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs?

Human has survived through ice-age, by the ability of precognitive to conjure up tools from surrounding, in satisfying the physiological needs, standout from competition with others predators; won us the crown to rule the earth. Shifting from nomadic to community lifestyle provide the security of food, water, shelter and warmth by inter-depending on pool of skills and resources from each other. When a community is bind and territory is determined, it elevate the needs to the second level – Freedom from fear.


 When a country or state that we dwell in is in a stable condition we enjoy friendship, family bonding and love, so much so when it accumulated, we seek for recognition in the social hierarchy. When worry is not within the reach, it’s time for creativity and unfolding the potential within, though might not be necessary a necessity any more. 


The Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in relevant to the shifting of technology is in synonymous with the history of mankind. We demand more sensory pleasure after each stage of achievement, from a single finger tapping telegraph to long distance vocal communication of telephone then visual unilateral communication, television, to the next phrase of a far more advance multi-sensory bilateral-communication, computer and tablet, keeping all our sensory organ in active except for the body. As the technology take shift, so does its level of hierarchy, what perceived as rare encounter for a few big boys is dropping down as a basic needs of common person, devices such as telephone and TV for instance.


Undeniably that more people is doing less work-out compare to what they suppose to (people age 19-64, 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, e.g. fast-walking ,cycling, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity e.g. running)9, spending more time in the ever affordable virtual world. 


















It was not known whether ICT open a new door for marketing or the other way round but whatever it is ICT is a huge market by itself and ride long is an equally huge advertisement industry. 96.2 percent of world population own a mobile phone and that is a whopping 7 billion phone at the same time (imaging how big is the phone maker market, average life span of phone in US is 18 months), no wonder marketer is playing SMS to sell their product nowadays. Naturally, the 38.8% internet user become the prime target for marketer, internet not only advertise but have the ability to perform financial transaction across B2B, B2C, C2C or whatever it is11.









The age of ICT user has also seen lowering down to 2year old or smaller. Perhaps human is entering another phrase of evolution which literally manifest by the changes of physical mien. 


So it does not only make us desk bound but change our mind& ways of life. With more apps is coming out, more competition in the market, making it more affordable, and more user with their time indulge in it. I wonder next generation will still have any physical activity they call games!


Not only there is direct health effects of prolong sitting on the screen (both TV& computer,& now tablet) but losing waistline as a result bring others more severe dieses such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and certain forms of cancer. The health consequences range from increased risk of premature death, to serious chronic conditions that reduce the overall quality of life13. It’s worrisome to see my already over-size brother to spend most of his time in the tiny screen of his latest Samsung phone. 


Done with the physical& mental of self-indulgent torture originally created to make life better, human bring it into the spiritual life too. Many religion has incorporated their bible or way of praying into the ICT, for the sack of convenience, the young has make their phone the church or temple of their god. I too browse my bible from phone and computer - not sure whether it still have the same effect/ power but it does make life easier.


No too worry about the genuine religion though, what I find funny is my little niece is more into ironmen& hello kitty than her religion. Perhaps movie maker is somehow making the new religion of idolism with not less the power one can imagine from their god. They are so good that the movie Avatar over-excited a Taiwanese man age 42 and perhaps he join the realm thereafter he pass away (die) after watching the (491.8million Revenue from US alone) movie by James Cameron14


While it’s not all bad for the development of ICT since it compensate its health side-effects by lowering the possible needs for transport (20% world energy consumption12) and others physical activities that generate more carbon footprint than its entire life-cycle carbon footprint might but one should be prudent in dividing time to achieve the equilibrium of health, cost, culture, carbon footprint associated with it.


Throughout the ages of invention and ICT intervention has improved the human mortality rate and so does the level of civilization. It’s a domino effects whereby one lead to another, less manpower and time is needed for the same task at the same time creating more possibility of technology to uplift human ability survival on earth. There is no doubt it has done more good than harm.

 In a large picture, as of anything on earth, what account is how it has been properly use than misuse. The PDF software has save thousands of tree by omitting paper printing and software like BIM has kill physical construction wastage worth millions. Meteorological forecast that use extensive computer calculation predict disaster beforehand and save life of millions. All this should be credited to the inventor.

The bottom line is;


"be the master of our creation, let creations not master our freedom" (Tay Kian Guan)

Resources

1.        http://www.worldometers.info/world-population
2.        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population
3.        Events that changed the World, Rodney Castleden, Canary Press, 2011, ISBN: 978-1-9007795-68-8
4.        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy
5.        http://computer-disease.blogspot.com/2012/09/disease-risk-for-computer-users.html
6.        http://www.forbes.com/sites/eco-nomics/2011/01/12/four-hours-on-your-computer-doubles-risk-of-heart-disease/
7.        http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/11/06/Computer-addiction-ends-in-tragedy-23yearold-found-slumped-over-the-keyboard-in-front-of-his-compute.aspx
8.        http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
9.        http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults.aspx
10.     http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-207_162-6114914.html
11.     ITU world telecommunication/ICT indicators database
12.     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_energy_consumption
13.     http://www.worldometers.info/obesity/
14.     http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-207_162-6114914.html



            

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