digital world | djameelp

Digital disconnect

Posted on March 23, 2015 by djameelpathel

Most of us have, for years now, never been disconnected from social media or the Internet in general for a significant amount of time. We are constantly checking our smart phones for new messages or notifications of any kind. Being termed as dependence, or further; an addiction when it first started to amass millions of users around the globe, the use of social media has now become the norm, so much that not being a user is often, if not always, seen as odd by most.
The digital disconnect provided me with an opportunity to do something I had not done in many years; cut off from the internet and my smart phone for 24 hours. It was firstly an opportunity to go back in time, when the social media phenomenon had not yet taken over the whole world, when social life had not yet been transferred to the boundaries of our screens. It is important for me to say here that I have become, over the years, addicted to social media, be it Facebook, Whatsapp, and more recently Instagram, or as I like to call it; the photo gallery of daily happenings.

Another important part of the day was the fact that I decided to go out. I first went trekking with a group of friends, followed by a stop at the beach before getting back home. What was one of the most difficult things to do on this very particular day was resisting the urge to ‘check-in’ wherever I went, and of course taking pictures to post them to Instagram instantly. I should add here that I did not even take pictures of the places we visited. I left my mobile phone in the car, just to make sure I would not be tempted to do so at any moment. It definitely allowed me to connect more to the people around, with conversations being paid much more attention to, and feelings about what we were experiencing being much easily shared with each other than if we would be hanging on to our phones every minute.

Settling back into my room after dinner when I got back home was yet another challenge, as I still had to keep off my phone. I chose to read some passages from my favourite book; L’Etranger by Albert Camus, one of the main themes of which is human relationships. It brought me to realise how much the digital turn mankind has taken has lead us to believe that face to face interactions are now a thing of the past, and how wrong this assumption is.

References:

1. http://busyteacher.org/images/no-cell-phones-poster-full.jpg.

My Digital World

Posted on March 23, 2015 by djameelpathel

My dream employer being Mercedes Benz, I always pay very close attention to how today’s cars are being made to be increasingly responsive to not only the drivers’, but also the passengers’ needs and desires. It is indeed impressive to witness the levels to which car builders now want to take the ‘occupant- car’ relationship. It has now become a necessity for one to have connectivity while travelling. Bluetooth or USB to connect the phone, screens on the dashboard, easy to reach buttons on the steering wheel; technology is now on the move with us everywhere we go.
German car makers Mercedes Benz have come up with various systems enabling the occupant of the car to be connected.One of these is the Drive Kit Plus, meant for IPhones, with Siri being the link between the user and the car’s digital equipment (Mercedes Benz, 2015). Drive Kit Plus allows you to use voice command to check your social media notifications, post new messages and photos on social media and even send messages without having to pick up your phone. Your car will also, if need be, remind you of tasks you had planned, but might have forgotten about.
Mercedes in the United Kingdom have come up with the Digital Service Report. It is a record of the entire history of your vehicle, be it for repairs or just maintenance (Mercedes Benz UK, 2015). The service is secure and accurate, allowing you to access your vehicle’s records online via any dealership. Another example of how ‘digitalised’ our vehicles are now becoming would be present in the S- Class of Mercedes. The operator’s manual which you usually keep at home to save space in the car is now accessible on the dashboard screen. Users can type in keywords if they wish to search for any information or instruction on how to properly operate a function of the car.

Car makers are also incorporating the digital element into safety components of vehicles. Cameras and sensors can now be placed on the bumpers, allowing it to assess surroundings on its own, braking or swerving to the sides in case something on the road could put the occupants’ safety at stake.

Our cars are made to be more and more ‘intelligent’ to simplify our daily lives. However, what would be interesting for the future would be to discover whether there actually are limits to the ability of manufacturers to ‘digitalize’ an increasing number of actions we carry out in the car. What will we see while stepping into a car in 20 years’ time?

Reference list:

1. “Mercedes-Benz UK – Servicing – Digital Service Report.” Mercedes-Benz UK – New and Used Cars. Accessed March 23, 2015. http://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk/content/unitedkingdom/mpc/mpc_unitedkingdom_website/en/home_mpc/passengercars/home/ownership/maintenance/understanding_your/digital_service_report.html.

2. “2014 S-Class Digital Operators Manual — Mercedes-Benz USA Owners Support.” YouTube. n.d. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwpl8ejVMuU.

3. http://drive-kit-plus.com/en/#s/video/siri