Sometimes it becomes painstakingly clear that we are inseparable from the artificial. We wake up to and breathe through every device which currently runs the system’s world. Whether it be the phone which vibrates the morning alarm, the computer we write in to fulfil our work’s day or the anxiety of navigating through our GPS in an unknown place. In the fast paced world we spend countless hours each day relying on technology, slowly forgetting the natural wonders of the world for the sake of convenience. This is not a coincidence, however a universal understanding that those who do not adjust to the changes of technology fast enough, fall behind and struggle in today’s artificial era.
We have long taken the natural world for granted, and even separated the natural world from the artificial world contextually. We often forget that there is biodiversity and inhabitants hidden deep within the forests, in the oceans beyond our land, and even the ecosystems which live amongst the streets today. At the beginning we may have been aware of these changes, however like most humans, we are wired to react and adapt to our new environments. We think nothing less of technology’s advancements and also the changing effects of nature itself.
On one hand, technology has given us immense power to complete everyday tasks with convenience whilst pushing the boundaries of what humanity can achieve for the benefit of society using more cost efficient methods. From data modelling that helps predict and prevent famine to artificial hearts which can restore the long wait for an organ donation, innovation has undeniably improved quality of life. Technology has had profound impacts on society both long and short term, presenting opportunities for us to become equal in our access to communication, knowledge and rights – shaping how we can connect, learn and grow. Yet, in the pursuit of progress, something subtle seems to slip through overtime like water droplets developing into a murky puddle. Our growing reliance on technology sometimes overshadows the beauty of simplicity and the wonders of the world. We forget the simpler things where we were able to spend our time creatively amongst people and land, and dreamed big of the world with the little resources we had in hand.
Perhaps you have noticed the creeping rise of social media ads promoting apps to ‘increase’ productivity to replace the simplest, most traditional form of habits such as journaling or remembering your to-dos for the day. They promise so much, however often do so little. It really makes you pause and wonder, “do we really need twenty different apps to live more efficiently?” On a smaller scale, many have tested this concept through ‘Social Media detoxes’ after the global influence of Tiktok. We are always ultimately aware somewhere deep down how harmful, and how addicting technology can be. But we can’t seem to break away from it. We struggle to figure out how to spend our time meaningfully without relying on technology, and receive withdrawal symptoms. Interestingly, though time seems to run longer this way it often comes with a new challenge where you may start struggling with the inability to connect with the outer world, and struggle to find meaningful relationships and hobbies to replace your boredom.
Predominantly, with the recent surge in AI developments and the enthusiasm around it, many question the ethics and long term effects of AI’s impact. Most notoriously, the implications of integrating AI into daily life include concerns of the impact on working class jobs to the future generation’s cognitive development. Many currently view AI as a big leap towards the new future, with many new AI models being trained with consumer data or hireable positions to train AI models. In a way, it makes us feel replaceable, more than ever before. We have started following a new trend, to outsource essential components of our thinking, memory and processing to the artificial world.
So the pressing question remains, “Can we function again without it, and are we taking nature’s resources for granted?” Well, many authors and artists have conceptualised the extremities of pushing technology in future societies, most knowingly through the genre of Sci-fi. It provides us unsettling glimpses of ‘what ifs’ – worlds defined through rigid uniformity, the replacement of all things robot, and a metallic vision of life shaped by artificial intelligence. And yet, these imagined futures seem to feel less fictional by the day. It indulges us into a larger question of today’s situation, “Can the world still keep up with us?” As more industries continue to extract natural resources to fuel our digital lives and pollute the environment in return, the balance between innovation and sustainability just becomes more fragile overtime.
Some may think that technological advancements are only natural for a civilisation to advance and become even better. However, sometimes it still feels a little discouraging and even a bit dystopian that technology seems to follow the footsteps of being built out of human greed instead of the interests of people and society. Artificial systems soon become optimised for fueling profit instead of optimising our lives. Nature no longer becomes apart of our lives, but is hidden and forgotten behind the layers of the artificial world distancing us from viewing the consequences of making the artificial more powerful. We don’t see the fossil fuels that run the digital economy, we don’t see the exploitation of workers worldwide, we don’t see the stark devastations of exploiting natural resources, and it almost feels like we cannot do anything about it, but watch helplessly as the earth becomes a ticking time bomb. Some may feel that this is not just a crack into the transformation of the world, but changing the trajectory of how the world will function in years to come. In most cases of the Sci-fi genre, this is just a thin balance between maintaining peace before bottling up something bigger; the beginning of a civilisation to grow uncertain, divide, fight and reform into a new civilisation.
In the end, we have choices on what kind of world we want to build, and what impact we want to create towards all natural resources and biodiversity. However, in the rush to remake the world, have we forgotten that we are still a part of it?
