A discussion of the relationship between technological innovation and social interaction

1. Social interaction within 10 years, taking into consideration the
impact of technology on human relations
- Sep 2014, Seb Wilkinson

2. 1.0 Presentation Brief
This presentation addresses the subject of social interaction and the impact
of technology on human relations through the following:
2.0 Definitions of social interaction and technology
3.0 History of technology in facilitating and catalysing social interaction
4.0 Anticipated technological innovations
5.0 Megatrends in social interaction over the next 10 years
5.1 Broad & Shallow social interaction
5.2 Commercialisation of the personal
5.3 Societal Awareness
6.0 Technology as a double-edged sword
7.0 Summary

3. 2.0 Intro
Definitions and Subject Delineation
• Technology is ‘the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes’- Oxford
Dictionary
• ‘Social Interaction’ is any relationship between two or more individuals. Repeat interaction
results in social organisation, which produces patterned power relationships
• Power - the ability to influence or control the behaviour of others - exists in all relationships.
Technology facilitates the projection of power across broader and deeper social channels.
As technology develops, a revised distribution of power will emerge
Political Private Economic
Technology
Information
Communication
Transport
Individuals
Technology
Institutions &
Relationships

4. 3.0 History of Technology in Social Interaction
• Throughout history technology has been catalytic in facilitating cultural, social and economic
evolution- be that in the form of a sharp stone implement for engraving, or a hypothesised
bio-tech solution
Storytelling, Dance &
Ritual
198,000 – 68,000 BC
38,000 BC
Earliest Cave Paintings
800 BC
Greek Alphabet
1450 AD
Automated Printing
(Gutenberg)
Movable Type Printing
(Bi Cheng)
1040 AD 1844 AD
Telegraph
1876 AD
Telephone
1989 AD
WWW
?
1971 AD
Emails

5. 4.0 Anticipated Technological Innovation
Tablets
Arduino: objects
notifying people? HOLOGRAPHICSOPTICAL PATTERNS
SOFTWARE HARDWARE
PRESENT<10YRS
TABLETS SMART CLOTHING
Successive waves of technological innovation will continue to reshape social interaction:
• Social media will remain the dominant driver of social interaction, with hardware enriching the
accessibility of social networks and information. Social networks will react to and inform the demand
for social interaction
• Consider the following 3 hypothetical yet plausible hardware developments:
1. A sensor based on a remote beach tweets the latest surf conditions
2. A man walks into a bar and has the relationship status of adjacent woman via facial recognition
3. Real-time communication between holograms renders business meetings more personal and
productive than a video-link
In recent times software
developments have been the
primary driver of hardware
innovation, albeit with some
feedback loops.
Previously state incentivised
security-focused innovation
would drip-down to
consumers; now consumer
led innovations are taken up
by the state

6. 5.1 Megatrend #1
Broad & Shallow Social Interaction
• Each day, time, attention and emotion are finite resources. A critical mass of ‘connections’
exists, after which the marginal utility of an additional connection is negative i.e. we
exchange quality relationships for a quantity of additional connections
• Reduced face-to-face communication allows deletion, editing and manipulation of our image
i.e. we are able to ‘keep up appearances’ at the expense of ‘this is me, take it or leave it’
relationships. At its extreme, ‘Catfish’* will become more common
• Always being ‘switched-on’ provides constant interaction and information at the expense of
understanding self and reflecting on relationships
“ The quantity of relationships leaves people
feeling qualitatively empty” - Sherry Turkle
The aforementioned proliferation of social
networks, smart devices and new media
paradoxically generate more connections at the
expense of weaker relationships:
* Catfish are people who lead an alternative life online, creating a fully falsified identity for online communication and relationships with others

7. 5.2 Megatrend #2
Commerialisation of the Personal
“We are the thing that Facebook has of value. We are the only
thing they have to sell…” - Douglas Rushkoff
• Incredulity at social media valuations* matured to admiration,
as critics understood the value of personal data. As
individuals begin to appreciate the market value of their own
data, the following takes place:
- The creation of personal data banks, exchanges and brokers;
here personal information is exchanged or licensed in a
transaction, bringing a revenue stream to the individual
• Social mobility increases as individuals commercialise their own personal details as
well as take advantage of the relatively low barriers to entry that exist in the online
economy
- The market value of personal data depends upon the ‘Net Influence’ exerted by the individual in
society. Individuals will look to increase their social footprint via more posts and connections.
Purely social connection requests are be met with increasing scepticism
• Utilising socially connected devices, individuals generate a monopoly over their most
prized commodity: attention. This allows attendance at several concurrent meetings
to avoid entrapment in perceived irrelevance
* The Facebook and Twitter IPO’s were valued at x22 and x16 multiples respectively

8. 5.3 Megatrend #3
Societal Awareness
“ …the networked population is gaining greater access
to information, more opportunities to engage in
public speech, and an enhanced ability to undertake
collective action…” - ‘Foreign Affairs’ Magazine, Feb 2011
• A counter-culture develops with elements that permeate the mainstream:
- ‘No Media Areas’: zones where the use of digital technology is prohibited e.g. many members clubs
in London already prohibit the use of digital devices in certain rooms
- The decline of face to face interaction increases its value and people actively seek out forums at
which to meet others in person
• Planned periods of ‘digital escape’ to avoid the fatigue associated with never being
disconnected from others
People become acutely conscious of the impact of
technology on their social interaction:
• With socialisation and identity formation moving online, many political and economic
institutions will look to utilise or manipulate online social interaction in order to retain
traditional boundaries. The ‘Arab Spring’ illustrate a shift in power away from traditional
sources and boundaries, whilst the Facebook and Google policies of the ruling party in
China evidence attempts to manage and curtail this trend

9. 6.0 Double Edged Sword
It will not be the technology that generates the aforementioned trends and issues, rather the
response of individuals and society to these innovations. The utility of technology is determined
in its application by the agent. Consider the below examples:
Cherri:
- Spends more time caring for her online
avatar than for her son
- Doesn’t speak with her parents who live in
the next town as they lack a device with
which to digitally communicate
- Sleeps 3 hours per night as she responds to
emails from her virtual team
- Made $50 selling her ‘WoW’ character to
another online player, using the proceeds to
download a new series recommended by
Netflix
Tony:
- Spends a lot of time with family as he is able
to work flexibly from home
- Has strong relationships with grandparents
as medical and technological innovations
have permitted longevity of life
- Although his wife works away most of the
week, they communicate face to face each
morning
- Has joined and regularly blogs within a
global community collecting ‘Penny Black’
stamps
Utility from social interaction HighLow

10. 7.0 Final Remarks
• Technology has creatively destroyed
and reformed social norms, structures
and power relationships and this will
continue• People will become more connected
but in the absence of meaningful and
“messy” relationships
• Data prices will become more
expensive as individuals realise the
personal revenue that can be
generated• Institutions will use social media to
influence perception and preference;
countered by individuals improved
awareness of their susceptibility to
manipulation and the potential pitfalls
of the new technology
• Deep social interaction is of great
emotional utility, filtering down to
physical and economic benefits.
Diverse uses of evolving technology
will widen societal gaps in terms of
emotional wellbeing