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.
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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)
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