Tech is a double-edged sword. Cutting through time and distance, it speeds up tasks and connects teams. But its impact on mental health disrupts workplaces. And the new rollout of AI brings fresh uncertainties. How can we better manage tech? And what can we expect if we don’t succeed?
Tech is one of three key factors that have shaped the 21st century so far, (along with geopolitical insecurity after 9/11, and financial challenges following the 2008 crash). Together these three developments have brought change, anxiety, and uncertainty, and have shaken up social attitudes.
Five hours a day on your phone
Tech in particular touches everyone. Research shows that every day the average American checks their phone 205 times and looks at it for more than five hours. These numbers have been rising since the early 2000s when smartphones made the internet available wherever we happened to be, 24/7. Since then, we’ve never looked up.
There are two sides to smartphone tech. Phones facilitate social media platforms driven by algorithms. These are designed to capture and hold our attention, encouraging us to post, subscribe, like, and swipe. The second part of the equation is the hardware itself — phones beep, ring, and vibrate until we give social media the attention it demands.
This lust for our attention is deliberate. Users are a commodity whose attention is sold to the true customers of big tech — the organizations who buy advertising rights. They do this is in the form of instant “ad auctions,” bidding for the opportunity to put their ad in front of their target market.
Exploiting human vulnerabilities
In the quest for our attention, smartphones quietly exploit two human vulnerabilities. The first is the need to belong. Described in 1995 by social psychologists Roy Baumeister and Mark Leary, this concept was later developed by neuroscientist Matthew Lieberman for whom the need to feel “connected” is as fundamental as our need for food and water.
Although we all have a phone, ironically we’re far more likely to send a text than actually call anyone. Texts are simplistic and fast and far less bothersome than a conversation. We’ve never been more connected and yet simultaneously disconnected from other people.
The speed of texting inflames a second vulnerability, described by psychologist Daniel Kahneman. Kahneman showed that fast thoughts — or simplified automatic responses — allow the brain to save energy when we’re doing something familiar like driving, making toast, or texting. Slow thoughts, like negotiating a deal, writing a report, or meaningfully chatting with someone, help us understand something (or someone) better — but they need more energy and effort.
Before social media, we had a healthy mix of fast and slow thoughts. But, as we’ve seen, tech relentlessly pushes us for quick responses, encouraging the fast thoughts that keep us hooked.
People are becoming less inclined to think carefully. Concentration is compromised. For example, younger generations (“digital natives”) prefer short videos on YouTube to longer traditional movies. None of this is good news for employers.
The impact on critical thinking
Organizations can be part of the problem, especially when they’re seeking an edge over competitors. Business tech supports fast delivery, leading to tighter deadlines. With less time for critical thinking, people may find it harder to solve problems.
Of course, problems can be out-sourced to AI. But then who — or what — is qualified to make decisions or manage actions?
Submerged in a tech-based lifestyle, employees risk losing essential analytical skills. These rely on experience, nuance, and empathy, things that AI is less good at. It’s not surprising that, according to the World Economic Forum, the top skill demanded by employers during this decade is analytical thinking.
Tech-based lifestyles lead to other problems too, such as isolation and loneliness. There are worries about the loss of skills in rapport and relationship-building, and the ability to identify misinformation.
The always-on nature of the digital world creates a permanent, fast-thinking, ever-wary, short-term state of mind. Tech is chipping away at what it is to be human, transforming us into something less than we are and hollowing out our potential. How can employers respond?
Investing in human skills
The tech that keeps us connected at work, wherever we’re working, is valuable and necessary. AI opens the way to a new world of possibilities. But our relationship with tech needs to be better managed if we are to reap its benefits without letting it limit our own capabilities.
This calls for a new appreciation of humanity’s oldest abilities — communication and creativity, leadership and emotional intelligence. Such abilities used to be called “soft skills” but are better recognized for what they are, namely human skills.
In practice, this means that leaders are advised to invest in:
1. Development and training. A program of future skills — focusing on critical thinking, leading through change, and interpersonal communication in the digital age — can lead to better problem-solving, sharper decisions, and stronger actions.
2. Rethinking culture. A reset of company culture would encourage skills in empathy, emotional intelligence, rapport, trust, and respect. These abilities not only enhance internal collaboration but also lead to better connections with clients.
3. Managing AI. AI feels like a return to the Wild West, where anything goes. To keep morale from going up in smoke, consider AI as an asset that reinvigorates rather than replaces your people. Allow AI to support employees, not the other way around.
Our relationship with tech is complicated. If we continue to allow our attention, mental health, and human skills to ebb away, we will fall short of our capability, especially at work. We don’t have to switch off tech. But it’s time to restore a little balance and switch on to who we are.
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