IE Business School Application Transcript for slides 3 and 4 3. Are we this generation of idiots? Nowadays, when we look around us, we constantly see people on their smartphones or tablets. People no longer speak to each other, their just stare at their screens. Maybe Einstein was right... We're becoming idiots. We no longer use our brain to find our direction in a city, we just ask Google Map, we don't know how to calculate 12 x 7, and when our best friend has his birthday, we send him a message on Facebook! All of this may seem a huge caricature of our society but in my opinion and unfortunately it's only a fragment of truth. 4. Technology in 2014 We all know what technology means today, but rather listing all the great technological inventions of our century, I think we can define it through 5 main axes: • Internet: is surely the biggest invention of the 20th century, it allows us to search for almost any content anywhere in the world and at any time, technically we could almost be able to stay in our home and internet could bring us everything we need. • Smartphones: and tablets are becoming human's best friend, more practical than an actual laptop it can be carried everywhere and some people actually sleep with it (true story), through them we can access internet and social networks and that means we're reachable anywhere in the world even on the most remote island. • Social networks: are constantly growing, allow us to keep in touch with friends and family, to search for a job, to find communities that share the same interests, to share our own content or simply to socialize and "stay connected". • Globalization: is a trend that comes with the invention of technology, it brings people together, allows us to meet and learn from different cultures, speak different languages, geographical limits are no longer existent and it tends to create a "mass culture" with people not having a single and unique personality anymore • Communication: is the main point of technology, it makes the content available to everyone

1. J. How do you imagine social interaction
within 10 years, taking into consideration
the impact of technology on human
relations?
By Cindy Wenger
IE Business School Application
March 2014

2. Albert Einstein said a couple years ago….

3. Are we this generation of
idiots?

4. Technology
In 2014
Globalization
Smartphone
s
Social
networks
Internet
Communication

5. Some positive impacts of technolgy
• Maintain and strengthen
relationships
• Access to every content and
information whenever we
want from anywhere in the
world
• Gain an understanding of
other cultures (cultural
diversity is improved)
• People are now able to
express their rights via
internet and social networks
• A lot of activities in our daily
lives are simplified and
easier
• Social relations despite
geographical area, no
barrier
• Social network create a
sense of community
between people that share
the same interests
• More time to spend with our
family and friends because
technolgy allows us to work
from home
• It can help people to
become more socially adept

6. • People loss their confidence
thinking that others have
better lives
• Lack of connection with real
world, « Fake friends »
• More risk of children
abusers, stalkers
• Commercials follow us to
propose targeted publicity in
oder to consume always
more
• Less diversity, mass
culture?
• No private sphere, private
life anymore
• People are overly stressed
• Increasing isolation
• Dehumanisation of
relationship
• People don’t know how to
communicate properly
anymore, lost capability of
socializing and interacting
face-to-face
• Loss of social skills,
speaking, sharing
• People are addicted to
smartphones and games
Some negative impacts of technolgy

7. What about the impact on human
relations?
• We have NO time
• We are stressed
• We spend HOURS on social networks and on the internet
• We DON’T speak to each other anymore
• Even if we do we ALWAYS have our Smartphone and check it
every 5 minutes
• We DON’T know how to really appreciate social moments
• We are afraid of communicating FACE-TO-FACE
• We are NOT living in the « present moment »

8. In 2024 if the trend continues
We will be…
• Totally addicted to computer, smartphones, tablets?
• Isolated people
• Spending our entire days on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram?
• All wearing Google glasses?
• Staying at home and not using public transports anymore because we could
do absolutely everything from home?
• Printing our food alone with our 3D printer, no grocery stores, no offices?
• Speaking to our furniture and controlling them?
• Served by robots?
• Able to teleport ourselves?
• Having mental and physical diseases because of an excess utilization of
technology?

9. In 2024 in my opinion
We will be…
A generation of « wise » idiots
Of course technology will be omnipresent as
it is today, and even maybe more

10. BUT…
• Technology will not substitue the need of direct human interactions, people
will still enjoy getting together, spending time with their friends and family
• Social interaction « face-to-face » with other human beings will become
ESSENTIAL
• Human relationships will be VALUED again
• There will be an awarness of people that technology is harmful at some
point
• There could even be classes to re-learn how to socialize with other people
• Technology will be better and wiser used: it will not make us anti-social
anymore but improve our social interactions instead of harming them

11. Conclusion
• Nobody really can predict what will happen in 10 years time..
• In the 70’s people fully expected that by 2012 we would all be
driving flying cars to our homes… we’re still queing up for gas!
• But what is sure is that we are becoming aware of our
addiction to technology and the way it can affect our social
interactions
• So hopefully we’ll be able to eliminate most of the negative
impacts of technolgy and keep the positive ones

12. Thank you for your attention !