Social Technology as a Reflection of the Idiosyncracies of Humanity

Currently, in any service that allows for user-generated content, there is a reward system set up to encourage member participation. Social engineering, or more bluntly, how to manipulate human behavior, is changing the way we communicate. In the past decade we've managed to ditch the idea of exchanging ideas through meaningful conversation, to adopt an exchange of statuses. Instant messaging, microblogging, emails, texts, and blogs keep us informed either directly or indirectly. There is no control of the quality of information.

Changes in our society and our culture have been equally drastic. For example, entire communities are based on ideas. From Anonymous to the Obama campaign, these organizations perpetuate a level of expression and existence that is without consequences and limitation. Free speech, taken to certain extreme levels that force the general public to adapt in order to stay as an active member of society. The questions that need to be addressed is how can we control our own consumption, and how do we stay safely informed in cyberspace without becoming addicted given the current speed of communication. 

Communicating through technology has now become our main way of fulfilling a basic need of interacting with other people. Social networking, as an outcome of social engineering, is an outlet of humanity that is untamed and largely unregulated. We can act anonymously without consequence, and with our names online we invite technology to become a pervasive part of our lives. This "grid" of users then becomes the largest goldmine in history. Artificial experiences substitute real life experiences. Artificial achievements substitutes real life achievements. The cyber-physical conditioning is gradual and ultimately leads to physical, mental, and spiritual depravity.

Considering the exponential growth of the major services we use, perhaps can curb consumption but not the actual trend. Defining adoption, adaptation, and addiction is an idiosyncrasy that depends on the demographic. As much as there are real consequences to changing the way we communicate, there are also real benefits. Just as virtual goods can have real value, virtual experiences can also have real-world value if we accept it as a supplement instead of a standard.