Overview
Our use of connected technology is so pervasive, that we barely even notice it — it seems silly to even mention it these days. As chairman and former CEO of Google, Eric Schimdt says unconnected devices are “no longer interesting” — we don’t even use them to tell the time of day anymore!
As inhabitants of the digital world, we all know many of the benefits that this increasingly connected world brings.
But this persistently connected existence comes at a price: most directly, this connected world alters our sense of time, which can diminish our patience and increase stress. At the same time, we become dependent on connected services, which, while yielding massive benefits, can also lead to a sensation of enslavement to your devices (and all the people on the other end of that connected screen). And, as the digital divide continues to expand, we lose sight of what it is to live without these advances, as so much of the world still does — including large chunks of the United States.
We can’t actually know what affect these devices and services have on us, unless we can disconnect from them, temporarily removing them from our lives. Many see this, though, as impossible — disconnecting is not feasible, except perhaps for the occasional weekend getaway.
R Blank, co-founder and CTO of Almer/Blank, recently engaged in a project that has required disconnecting from this persistently connected world for several months. This was, of course, made all the more challenging by the fact that he serves as the senior technical officer of a high-tech production agency.
Come join R as he walks you through some of his experiences, and the lessons learned, in this process of disconnecting, and how you might be able to make use of some of these lessons to create a better sense of balance in your own life. At the same time, gain some insight into the reality and implications of the digital divide, and what this means for the future of our industry, as well as the nation.
