One morning last week, I looked over a research paper by one of my clients who goes to school out-of-state, communicated with several teachers at 4 different schools in 3 different cities, I bought a couple of Christmas presents, chatted a few times with an old friend who lives in Texas about our shared enthusiasm for coffee (which came up after he read THIS), and studied up on eukaryotic cell biology and the nuances of Article 2 of the Constitution in preparation for work this coming week.
100 years ago, I couldn’t have done all that…at least not in a few hours. The research paper alone would have taken days and days in the mail not only to get to me, but to get back to the student. Nope, the reason I was able to accomplish these things in only a few hours is simple: technology.
As our technological capabilities have increased exponentially, the constant and consistent debate is in weighing the pros and cons of this ever-expanding automation. And as this debate rages on in contexts economical, ethical, and educational, this month’s theme of inspiration leads me to the point of intersection where human interactions are enhanced by technology, and where technology is enhanced by human interactions. High tech, high touch.
Technology is like money or power: not inherently good or inherently evil, but which it becomes is completely dependent on how it is used. When I see technology being used in ways that can draw us closer together – especially in ways that at one time would have sounded like science fiction – it’s an example of the best of what we can accomplish. When sending a text message is all that’s required to donate to something like Haiti earthquake relief, technology increases our ability to reach each other. A parent can record a few seconds of video on their phone of their giggling toddler and send it instantly to any number of friends and relatives, near and far. Family members seperated by distance can now video chat as easily as make a phone call. In each of these cases, higher tech leads to higher touch.
The high tech/high touch phenomenon doesn’t just exist from technology to people, but from people to technology too. In other words, our experience with the technology can either encourage or inhibit our willingness and likelihood to use it again, which can, consequently, increase or decrease our connection to others. This is the reason, ultimately, why Apple is so successful. The interface and interaction between a person and device is as much a priority as the performance and software itself. Not just in the tactile response of the keyboard – which is such a satisfying feeling – but in the flow of the operating system, the intuitive choice making, and the engineering to make it look beautiful too. At one point, the title of this article was going to be “iDrank the kool-aid” because after ending years and years of Window use, my enthusiasm for Apple and their Macs is so high. But my enthusiasm is so high particularly because of the high tech/high touch factor that is innately Apple – in the Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod. There is great opportunity for creation and for connection through technology, and there is great value to the hand-made and analog. If we can find more and more places for these things to intersect, then not only does our shared interconnectedness increase, but the technology that facilitates that connection can promote and protect it too.
From Left to Write 
