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Growing

up in a digital civilization

Growing up in a digital civilization


Uday Dandavate One of the important characteristics of the power of communication on social media is that it is open source. Anyone, regardless of his/her nationality, culture and economic status can influence the discourse on the Internet, as long as one has access to it through a smart phone, Internet cafe or a computer. The Internet has provided an opportunity for everyday people to express their deep-rooted emotions, epiphanies and convictions, and create ripples with ideas. Anyone today can push ideas into the digital world and affect audiences worldwide. In an era of consumerism, access to information online has made it possible for people to make intelligent decision. Consumers are beginning to ignore the Big Brotherly attributes of the internet and are increasingly adjusting their sense of comfort with tools that track their behaviors, profile their lifestyle and offer personalized solicitations from marketers. Big data analytics has made it possible for businesses to optimize their marketing resources by analyzing patterns in consumer behaviors and targeting individuals during their most vulnerable moments. The digital space has become an alternate reality- especially for the younger generation who spend more time in the digital space than in the real world. The younger generation is today attached to technology devices, social networks and digital content. Their social etiquette, values, and aspirations are shaped by the stimulation to the imagination provided by online social interactions, digital media and interactive games. Children are growing up to be smarter, yet losing out on empathy skills that are learned from moments of delight, pain and sensory experiences in the real world. Their cognition of life is influenced by the life in the digital space. The concept of war, to them is learned from games such as, Call of

Duty, the idea of pain is learned from the cries and blood of the enemy or angry birds they shoot down in video games. In the digital world, one can assume multiple identities, be aggressive without being reprimanded or feeling guilty, communicate asynchronously, enjoy life as if it were a game, and treat passage of time as something one can rewind or restart. Interactions have become transactions and loyalty is replaced by deals in the digital age. The irony of the situation is that the age of internet has created both opportunities and challenges for political leaders who use the relatively easy reach and transparency of the Internet to acquire political power by inspiring, inciting and mobilizing the imagination of masses, but once they attain power, they become uncomfortable with the free expression on the Internet. Governments worldwide (including those posing to be torch bearers of democracy) are establishing laws to curb transparency and free expression on the Internet and track dissenters and whistle blowers, down so they do not blow the lid off their misdeeds or galvanize mass action against establishment. Where will it all lead? I believe we are in that phase of digital civilization that corresponds with barbarian age of human civilization. There were fewer rules, people acted more often on impulses than reflections or rational thinking, relationship between man and a woman was driven more by lust than long term commitment. People are constrained only by possibilities in the digital space than by values. Over time civilized society evolved through building of social rules and institutions. I believe the digital space will soon be going through a transformation to a more civilized society that will combine the reach and participatory nature of the Internet with the restraint and values of human society.

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