Executive Mindset
consequently, there should be less danger there. The opposite is actually true. There’s more danger there because of the way we as human beings interpret words,” Raciappa said. “So I do think it is important that we communicate face to face. You can pick up facial expressions, which obviously are important; you can pick up tone of voice, you can pick up inflection and you can pick up the furrow of the brow. I would say that that certainly makes it easy for two people to communicate without having to travel.” Raciappa said even with the unintended cultural consequences caused by social media technology, certain applications like video chat are indeed very useful. For example, he uses Skype all the time to work with clients across Florida. But the important thing is to establish relationships in person, and then use technology to maintain that relationship. “Once we’ve met, we can maintain the relationship via the long distance. And again, with the meeting
Photo Illustration by MATT BURKE
capabilities that are on the Internet, we can do that nowadays. So I think initially we want to be able to develop a relationship face to face and then, once it’s at least set, we can harness the technology to make it more efficient,” he said. But harnessing the power of an everevolving technology is difficult at best. Anderson said it’s hard to gauge exactly what we’ve gained, or lost, because things are happening so fast that we don’t have the proper perspective to define these advances or their impact on our lives. He added that the jury is still out regarding the notion that our brains are physiologically changing due to our ever-increasing exposure and interaction with technology. But one thing is certain. The skills needed to live in today’s world are different in many ways than the skills needed even a decade ago. “I don’t know that we can intentionally ‘re-train our brains,’ but we can choose what to focus on and what tools we use to enhance our abilities.
FEAR OF MISSING OUT Technology experts say the “Fear Of Missing Out” is to blame for why adults are always in The Loop.
The challenge will be keeping up in an exponentially advancing world — which is why we’re handing off more and more of our decision making to machines and software,” he said. “It’s literally too much for the human mind to retain and maintain. I think we’ll see far more of this in the coming years as our technology becomes more intuitive and contextual. Google Now is a great early example of this. For example, I no longer need to remember when I have a flight or how to get there. Based on where I am, where I need to be, the traffic and construction in between, if my flight is delayed and a host of other information I couldn’t keep track of, my phone notifies me — proactively — when I need to leave, with a preset amount of time as a buffer. This is amazing, and it already exists today. And it’s just the beginning.”
850 Business Magazine
|
AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2014
|
15