What Is Connection?
THE LAST DECADE OF TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION HAS RESULTED IN A RAPIDLY RESPONSIVE AND DIALED-IN NATION.
We’re only ever of couple of taps away from our thousands of ‘friends’, and an infinite web of free, digestible information. We're more digitally connected than ever before, it's all so seamless and accessible. Too accessible, for some; sixty percent of people say they suffer from notification fatigue and are looking for ways to disconnect from their smartphone so that they can reconnect with real life.
AT VINAYA WE ASK: WHAT IS CONNECTION? HOW DOES DIGITAL CONNECTION AFFECT REAL HUMAN CONNECTION? AND HOW CAN WE USE TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE US MORE HUMAN, NOT LESS?
VINAYA is all about integrating technology into our lives in a more mindful way. To consciously decide how technology can benefit our lives, and how it can improve authentic human connection, rather than detract from it. It's about being intentional with our screen time, rather than using technology to fill time. After all, time is the greatest luxury of modern life - we should use it wisely.
We're on a mission to understand how technology affects the human psyche, which raises the question: what does it mean to be human? One of the defining qualities of ‘being human’ is our aptitude for emotional intelligence. Empathy is a trait developed through human touch, face-to-face interactions and communication through verbal, as well as non-verbal, cues (such as eye contact). Many scientific studies have shown that time away from the screen increases our ability to comprehend the emotional state of others. As a result of ‘connecting’ more online, and less in person, technology poses a threat to our ability to build meaningful, empathetic relationships.
As an intelligent species, we've already made technology cater to our intelligence; as emotional beings, how difficult can it be to make it serve our emotional quotient as well? So let's reset the balance between digital and physical. Let's re-define personal digital boundaries, be aware of screen time, gain perspective on our use of technology, and re-think the concept of ‘urgency’.
