.: Digital Humans :.

It’s 2065 AD and the world is more advanced than ever before. Most notably, everyone seems to be more intelligent, more alert, and more sophisticated than in the past. They can compute 27,150 x 369 in their minds. They can store massive amount of information in their brains. Their thoughts and memories are uploaded to silicon chips. They are Digital Humans.

This scenario is David D. Friedman’s prognosis for the future, as laid out in his book entitled Future Imperfect: Technology and Freedom in an Uncertain World. Although the combination of the human body with technology may seem unlikely at this point, our society is hurtling toward a technology-saturated future where the line between man and machine is blurred. In his writings, Friedman mentions Moore’s Law, which states that every 1 to 2 years, modern computing ability doubles in power. This could mean that in as little as 50 years, we will have the knowledge and ability to create technology sophisticated enough to mimic the human brain. (Friedman, 2008) This radical development could lead to the creation of advanced microchips implanted in the brain, harnessing the power of computers within the human body. Thus, Digital Humans would come into existence.

Now the question is: What does it mean to be a Digital Human? First and foremost, Digital Humans lead a sort of hybrid existence. Much of the mental processing done within the brain can be shifted onto the digital implant so as to increase mental capacity for calculations and thought. This idea can be compared to adding more memory to a computer so that it can process commands more quickly and multitask more effectively. In a manner of speaking, the Digital Human is a living, breathing computer. A major benefit would be the ability to “upload” information to the brain’s microchip. As mentioned in Future Imperfect, Friedman asserts that “over time, more and more of your thinking is done in silicon, less and less in carbon. Eventually your brain, perhaps your body as well, comes to play a minor role in your life…”

Even though this may seem to be a promising outlook, there are also some interesting issues generated. For example:

Is our humanity in jeopardy when the body is fundamentally incorporated with technology? Are Digital Humans even considered “human” at all?  Is there a risk of totally succumbing to the digital side of the brain?  Can a Digital Human turn into a “robot”?  Are they susceptible to computer viruses?  Or will Digital Humans create an improved race of beings, capable of advancing society to a better and brighter future?  Perhaps the increased mental capacity for processing and thought will allow for a more fruitful and competent society?

These dilemmas don’t yet have answers, but they are worth considering.

Currently, we can observe the basic elements of digital integration in our daily lives as seen through portable electronic devices and virtual reality. In fact, immersive virtual reality could be the first step towards techno-human integration. Philip Rosedale, creator of the online virtual reality program SecondLife, states that “the virtual world is the average of everything humans desire.” (McNally & Fedde, 2010). What we cannot achieve in real life can be realized in virtual reality, albeit to a limited extent. As of now, virtual reality only engages two main senses: sight and sound. However this is quickly changing.

The study entitled Virtual Interpersonal Touch: Haptic Interaction and Copresence in Collaborative Virtual Environments purports that “as communication systems grow to allow more channels or information to integrate psychologically meaningful ways, more and more people will come to rely on using multiple channels during remote communication.” (Bailenson & Yee, 2007) That’s to say, people will soon have the desire to engage four or five of the human senses during communication, a feature which could be provided by immersive virtual reality. This type of virtual reality will seamlessly integrate the virtual world with the real world, maybe to the point where it will be difficult to distinguish between the two. A refinement of this concept could be the cerebral microchip implant in Digital Humans, creating the “ultimate virtual reality,” one that is displayed in front of you through your very own eyes.

No matter the potential outcome, one fact remains: This technology could absolutely be available in the near future. At the very least, we must entertain such a possibility and begin to assess the different issues (both good and bad) that could arise from creating Digital Humans and immersive virtual reality. Furthermore, it would be wise to devise a way to regress Digital Humans back to “regular” humanity in the event of technological malfunction or change of preference. In the end, Aldous Huxley may have been right – it is a Brave New World out there.


RESOURCES:

Bailenson, J. N., & Yee, N. (2007, September 2). Virtual Interpersonal Touch: Haptic Interaction and Copresence in Collaborative Virtual Environments. International Journal of Multimedia Tools and Applications, doi:10.1007/s11042-007-0171-2

Friedman, D. D. (2008). Future Imperfect: Technology and Freedom in an Uncertain World. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press

McNally, Caitlin (Producer), & Fedde R.A. (Producer). (2010). In, Digital Nation. PBS.

.: Techno Wonderland :.

The other day, I was telling my brother Tim about my lunch date with a high school friend. In keeping with the typical behavior of a moody 16-year old, my brother wasn’t particularly interested in what I had to say. Nonetheless, I was determined to relay the details of my visit with my old classmate. However, as I continued to speak, I realized that my brother wasn’t just disinterested in my story; he was texting his friend on his cell phone, totally unaware of my attempt at conversation. At that moment, it dawned on me that like the millions of other teenagers around the world, my brother is a Digital Native. This term, coined in a 2001 article by Marc Prensky, refers to those who have been raised in the midst of the digital revolution. (Horstman, 2010) Born in the 90s, my brother has grown up immersed in a technological world, filled with television, cell phones, video games, and Wi-Fi. As I continued to ponder this long-overdue revelation, I realized that I, along with the rest of the world, am part of this frontier as well.

Today, the majority of people are wholly immersed in a digital lifestyle. We watch television, we surf the internet, we text or call our friends – in other words, we are continuously bombarded with digital stimuli. Our minds tend to be more scattered and we thrive off of the vast amount information provided to us through computers and the internet. However, in a world where the average teenager spends around 50 hours per week with digital media (McNally, & Fedde, 2010), I can’t help but ask an obvious question: How has digital media affected human communication?

First of all, “living in a digital world has changed the way we work, live, and interact…and how we acquire, use and dispense information.” (Horstman, 2010) Now more than ever, humans have access to a wealth of knowledge with the click of a mouse. Our behavioral and social patterns seem to be transforming, even to the point that it affects learning habits. (McNally, & Fedde, 2010) As stated in the article Brave New Brain, J. Horstman poses the idea that “today’s digital natives tend to absorb information quickly in small bites; have a short attention span; and multitask obsessively, paying attention to many things.” He goes on to say that the modern youth live in a completely interactive world, and that their minds follow a similar pattern. This necessitates the alteration of educational methods so that current and future students may better understand new ideas and concepts. Take this essay as a real-life example. Before writing this composition, I signed onto my course website and did research by sifting through course materials and online videos. I may never meet my teacher or interact with my classmates, yet I am required to abide by various deadlines so that I can keep up with my coursework. The manner and the media through which I am learning have drastically changed – I have minimal human interaction with maximum digital media use. I’m not saying that this is a bad thing – only that the human learning process has been fundamentally altered. 

Just as teaching methods will have to be adapted to the rise of technology, how will basic social interaction change? In the book What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, author Nicholas Carr states that “because we are often using our computers in a social context…the resulting self-consciousness…magnifies the intensity of our involvement with the medium.” Such a level of involvement with computers and other technology, coupled with diminished human interaction, can lead to changes in the way that people interrelate. For example, digital natives may have a harder time interpreting body language than those who adopted digital gadgets later in life. Conversations may tend to be somewhat short and choppy, seeing that creating small talk or maintaining a conversation is not necessarily needed with digital media. Although such issues may not yet pervade our society to a great extent, the future could yield problems in these areas as well as others.

All in all, technology holds many opportunities for the future of the human race. Whether it involves taking an online university course, video chatting on Skype, or texting the latest gossip to your best friend, human communication and interaction is most definitely evolving. It will be interesting to observe human relations as our world becomes more and more technologically integrated. Perhaps, the real challenge will not be how to embrace the newest high-tech gadgets, but how to exercise judgment and create balance while living in a Techno Wonderland.


RESOURCES:

Carr, N. (2010). What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains: The Shallows. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Horstman, J. (2010). Scientific American: Brave New Brain. San Francisco: Wiley.

McNally, Caitlin (Producer), & Fedde R.A. (Producer). (2010). In, Digital Nation. PBS.