Will fast-paced digital era harm or benefit humanity?
KUWAIT: The current fast-paced digital era we are experiencing made everything readily available with a click of a button and a swipe of a screen. While most of the old technologies are considered ‘passe,’ people tend to overlook the negative aspects of the current era, especially when it comes to the spread of false or unsourced information. With that being said, a question might arise: Will a fast-paced digital world harm humans or will it help the species transcend its current disposition?
On this subject, Professor at Kuwait University’s (KU) College of Social Studies Dr Dalal Al-Budaiwi said that technologies such as social media platforms have a huge impact on society especially in the rapid spread of information. Most now use platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and so on to get their information, which is positive and negative in and of itself, the academic said. People, namely of the younger generation, should bear in mind that not all information in the digital domain is 100 percent true or accurate; there should be a process of deduction and sifting through data to come with a fraction of what is considered ‘the truth,’ Dr Budaiwi said. All in all, to be aware of what is seemingly a vast ocean of information is a positive outcome of this new world; people only need to instill critical analysis of data to determine what is true from false and hopefully this will help guide humans towards a bridge future, the academic added.