Is it possible for humans to decide that technology has become too all-encompassing, too bothersome, too invasive?
Yes, of course.
Is it possible that we’ve reached that point already?
I’m starting to think that maybe we have.
I’ve been thinking about these issues in light of the news that teens, according to a survey conducted by Roiworld, a gaming website, seem to be experiencing Facebook fatigue. 19% of teens surveyed have either reduced Facebook usage or have stopped visiting altogether. I’m shocked. This is roughly akin to fish experiencing water fatigue. It just doesn’t seem possible that teens would ever stop using Facebook.
Now, Roiworld reports that there are several key reasons why teens have been spending less time on the social networking site. These include privacy concerns, a growing contingent of older people using the site, a desire to leave any utility used by their parents, and a general, unspecified boredom with the features and uses. Additionally, it’s not clear from the survey what these kids are doing to fill now vacated Facebook hours. Have they moved to other online experiences? Have they started collecting pogs again? Gone back to reading books? It’s hard to tell.
I do see, however, this flight from Facebook as part of a larger malaise with the role technology is playing in our lives.
Let’s take a look, for instance, at a great piece Peter Bregman wrote for the Harvard Business Review Blog, titled “Why I Returned My iPad”:
It didn’t take long for me to encounter the dark side of this revolutionary device: it’s too good.
It’s too easy. Too accessible. Both too fast and too long-lasting. Certainly there are some kinks, but nothing monumental. For the most part, it does everything I could want. Which, as it turns out, is a problem.
Sure I might want to watch an episode of Weeds before going to sleep. But should I? It really is hard to stop after just one episode. And two hours later, I’m entertained and tired, but am I really better off? Or would it have been better to get seven hours of sleep instead of five?
[snip]
So why is this a problem? It sounds like I was super-productive. Every extra minute, I was either producing or consuming.
But something — more than just sleep, though that’s critical too — is lost in the busyness. Something too valuable to lose.
Boredom.
Being bored is a precious thing, a state of mind we should pursue. Once boredom sets in, our minds begin to wander, looking for something exciting, something interesting to land on. And that’s where creativity arises.
My best ideas come to me when I am unproductive. When I am running but not listening to my iPod. When I am sitting, doing nothing, waiting for someone. When I am lying in bed as my mind wanders before falling to sleep. These “wasted” moments, moments not filled with anything in particular, are vital.
Of course, Bregman’s issue with the iPad is somewhat particular to the user. Apple has sold more than 3 million iPads in the few months that the devices have been available for purchase. Not everyone, it is clear, is worried about the lack of boredom in his life. But some people are. And if we assume that technology will only become better and better, more immersive and more essential, we will begin to see people pining for an escape. I spent a few days camping over Memorial Day weekend this year, and I was struck by how pleasant my life was away from a computer. I didn’t check my email, my Google Reader, my Twitter, my Facebook–or anything else–for three days. It was wonderful to spend time with friends, good qualitative and quantitative face-time (I’m using here the original meaning of the term, not Steve Jobs’s). I think camping–and other similar getaways–might prove popular to technology users who simply need a break from their laptops and smartphones.
But let’s say you don’t own a campground near, for example, Lake George. You can still benefit from this emerging phenomenon by offering sub{tantive alternatives to the very technologies that people are now looking to bypass. As business increasingly becomes done through email, a real-life meeting, a well-timed phone call, and a personal connection will continue to stand out in the minds of customers. Take advantage of technology fatigue by making real connections with your customer base.
Have you experienced customer fatigue? How are you presenting a real face to your customers?
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