De-humanizing

You got mail ! You just received a hug & kisses from Anne. Click to receive. You just received a chocolate cake from Harry, click to view.

Most of the things can be done by a few clicks away. Thanks to the globalization. We are all connected. The social networking services e.g Facebook, Twitter etc, with the motto “Giving the people power and to make the world more open and connected”. Business professional networking services e.g. Linkedln, Naymz is an interconnected network of professional from around the world, with billion members networking every second.

One of the paradoxes of a world in which we are all increasingly connected is that is makes it that much easier for us all to become disconnected. Because of more we are all wired and networked together, the easier it becomes for each of us to work alone, at home, from our beach house, tree house of from remotest Africa. The more we are all networked, the more we call all be freelancers.

Working moms and dads can now be home more. That’s good, in theory. But often means is that the workday becomes nineteen hours long. I have a friend who dad works from home as an independent consultant for government and industry. Even though her dad is at home in every two hours he is on the cell phone. She eventually got so upset with the interruptions that she finally said to him, “Dad, just stay at the office.”

Now everyone is E-lancers. We don’t have friends; we have contact. We become unreal, virtual.

Whenever you call for technical support or reservation services oftentimes you’ll be directed by the system and if you want to speak to a human being, press 1. What happen if press 1 is no longer an option ? Always being able to speak to an operator is essential for globalization’s success. Because at some level you need to feel that this system is built for human beings, not machines; otherwise it becomes deeply alienating.

The advances in online trading, the internet, satellite technology and the like. Some farmer using the internet, a web site –http://www.tomato.com/ and a visa account will surely set up a virtual farmers’ market where it will be possible to order the tomato from your home PC, charge them on Visa and have them delivered by FedEx the next day. But where does quality of life fit into all this stuff ? Being able to smell the fresh lemon and to buy fresh flower direct from the farmers market and being able to chit chat about the current issue with your neighborhood grocery’s will surely make your day.

How we learn to strike the right balance between globalization’s and humanizing will determine the evolution of human society. Our job as citizens of the world is to make certain that a majority of people always feel that globalization will benefit the society in each possible way. Only then will globalization be sustainable.

Surely we can have 1 millions contacts in our social or business networking, always connected with blackberry, text messages, e-mail and so on, but where is the fun when you can’t enjoy a quiet moment with real friends. I love going out to enjoy wine & dine to catch up with a few friends. Little Dragon, your birthday is next week, let’s just chill out at our favorite restaurant in Bangsar. The dinner is on me ! Cheers !