A
question of particular concern is whether this ecological crisis will be
exacerbated as human society becomes increasingly defined by digital
technology, with cyberspace ever encroaching upon physical space in terms of
our awareness and preoccupation of the former over the latter. The ushering in
of the digital era some three decades ago with the introduction and eventual
prolific use of the internet and its numerous applications has led to the
creation of a new entity called cyberspace. This notional environment or metaphorical
space is increasingly becoming an important place where people exchange
information and experience a sense of social interaction and interconnectivity.
People’s lives, especially the younger generation, also referred to as the
“digital natives,” have become greatly attached to this non-physical
environment as the place where they go for engaging in online activities,
relationships, and finding news, information and entertainment. According to We
Are Social, which tracks the global digital landscape, as of July 2020, the
world population total was 7.79 billion with an urbanization rate of 56 percent.
At the same time, the global internet penetration was 59 percent (4.57 billion)
while social media penetration reached 51 percent (3.96 billion).[1]
The organization noted that “growth trends indicate that an average of more
than 1 million people started using social media for the first time every
single day over the past 12 months, equating to almost 12 new users every
second.”[2]
On average, people used the internet nearly 7 hours each day, a significant
portion of which was by way of the mobile phone. During the Covid-19 pandemic,
as many countries went into lockdown, people also significantly increased their
online time.
The
few general data presented here is adequate to remind us that human life is
increasingly preoccupied with digital technology reflected in the multiple
gadgets that we own—mobile phones, tablets, notebooks, smart TVs, game
consoles, fitness trackers, smart watches, and so on. Statistics also show that
a significant portion of our waking hours is spent in cyberspace, oftentimes
multi-tasking using our gadgets. At the same time that we are experiencing the
degradation of physical nature, there is a growing trend of incorporating
technological nature into human life. Instead of hiking in a mountain, we can
take a walk or exercise in a simulated natural setting using immersive virtual
environments (IVE) technology.[3]
There is also a trend toward owning robot animals instead of the traditional
dogs and cats as “pets.” According to Wired,
“Robotics
startups are rolling out more and more companion bots, designed for the sole
purpose of friendship.”[4] Another popular
trend in modern society is live streaming webcams of natural places and
animals. There are live webcams streaming activities of bears in Alaskan
national parks as well pandas in the zoos in the US and China.
Chapter from the book: Religion and Society in the Digital Age (Moldova: Eliva Press, 2020).
For full article, email: leducsvd.arc@gmail.com
[1] We Are Social, “Digital use around the world in July 2020,” https://wearesocial.com/blog/2020/07/digital-use-around-the-world-in-july-2020.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Giovanna Calogiuri et al., “Experiencing Nature Through Immersive
Virtual Environments: Environmental Perceptions, Physican Engagement, and
Affective Responses During a Simulated Nature Walk,” Frontiers in Psychology (23 January 2018), https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02321
[4] “The second coming of the robot pet,” Wired (1 July 2019), https://www.wired.com/story/the-second-coming-of-the-robot-pet/.
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