科技是拉近了還是拉開了人與人之間的距離呢?| Technology is bring human closer or pushing human farer?

昨天看到 @deanliu的帖子 ，當中一句 “傳說在網上越活躍的人，在真實生活中就越孤獨。” 讓我想了很多。它讓我想起了我在大學時上過的一堂課，課堂主題是關於人文的，但確實主題是什麼已經忘記了。但當中的一個分組功課讓我印象很深刻，題目中概就是“你認為現今的科技是拉近了還是拉開了人與人之間的距離呢?”。

I read a post from @deanliu yesterday, which is about a slang from internet, the meaning is about: “For those more active in the internet, they are more alone in the real world.” And this slang really reminds me something, which is the time when I was in the university, I have taken a humanities course. And the course has a team project which topic is “The development of technology is bring human closer or pushing human farer?”

我很記得當時這門課因為是早上九點鐘上的，所以沒有一個朋友願意陪我去上。這個功課需要6個人一組，需要選擇一個立埸，需要制作演講稿然後在課堂上演講你的立埸與觀點，而時間有兩個星期。有朋友一起上課的當然後順利的組了起來。而我這種一個人都不認識的最後加入了唯一一個6個人彼此都不認識組裏面。

I remember that the class start at 09:00 a.m., so, there was no friend who would like to take this course with me. And the team project needs 6 people to form a group, select your side, make a PowerPoint and do a presentation , and we’ve got two weeks’ time. And, because I don’t know one of the single person in the class, so I join a group that everyone of us don’t know each other, actually 6 of us is completely stranger.

哪個時候各種即時通訊軟件還沒有出來，在電腦上我們都是用MSN聯絡；如果想要跟別人視像的話我們可以用Skype；那個時候Omega 已經有了好幾年，但是在香港不流行；Roulette剛剛推出了，但很快就被變態攻佔了。而iPhone也沒有普及，我們出門後要找別人沒有whatsapp、telegram，我們都是用SMS 的(不同電訊商之間的信息需要收費的)，所以我們必須要用電話號碼才能找得到別人，要是沒有回覆，我們也可以打給別人，而別人也沒有攔截的選擇。在這樣的一個科技時空之下，大家會怎麼選擇你的立場了?

And at that time, there was no that much instant massager software, we use MSN to communicate on our computer, if we need a face communication, we will use Skype. At that time, Omega have been out, but not popular in Hong Kong; Roulette just published, but soon to be naked vide call channel. And iPhone was not well adopted at that time; we don’t have whatsapp, telegram to use when we go out. We have to use SMS to message people. In that period of time, what will you choose your side for the topic?

一個星期過去了，我在課堂上向其他組別的打聽他們做得怎樣，出乎意料的，大部份的組別也都為著他們組應該表達的立埸爭論了好久。而更出乎意料的，我們這6個陌生人的立場都很一致。再一個星期後，課當上6組的人輪流著在黑板對面演講，當中5組的人都認為科技拉近了人與人之間的距離。主要的原因是因為科技把人類的通訊變得更加方便了，有了Skype這些通訊軟件後，我們可以跟遠在另一個大陸的親人視像，不用再像從對要幾個星期才能收到信件。

One week passed, I ask other classmate how is their progress. And what unexpected is that most of them have a hard decision and discussion on which side they should choose. And for our group , which didn’t come up such issue, all of us have chosen the same side. One more week later, we have 6 groups of people doing presentation on the class. And 5 of them chose that technology bring human closer. Because technology make communication easier, after we have Skype, we can chat with our family even who stay in another country. We don’t have to wait weeks to receive the letter.

而我們這組是唯一一組覺得科技是在拉開人與人之間的距離，而且我們的意見一致。在我們做這個作業的時候我們都體會到了一件事，在科技層面上，我們對著同組的這幾個陌生人，跟對著我們的朋友是一樣的。我們對著組員發MSN，也對著很要好的朋友發MSN，那這MSN有拉近了我跟我的組員嗎? 我們覺得完全沒有。科技只是提供了溝通上的便利，但完全不能拉近人與人之間的距離，組員也只不過是組員。即使最後我們變成了好朋友，拉近我們的都不會是科技。

And my group is the only team who choose technology push humane farer, and our opinion is almost the same. During we make this project, we feel like that in terms of technology, we do it the same to stranger and our good friend. We MSN to our group mate, and we MSN to our good friend. But does MSN bring us closer? We all feel not. Technology is just make communication easier, but will never bring human closer. Even we can become friends, which is not technology make it.

最後教授給我們作了一個結論，他說，這個題目沒有正確的答案，全是在你怎麼看待人類的文化。自古以來，人類都想要強調自己是一個獨立的個體，卻從來不是一個獨立的個體。最簡單的就是人類發明了語言，而尋求溝通這一個舉動已經證明了這個個體的不獨立性。教授問了大家覺得自己最親的人是誰，大部份的同學都答了父母。而他再問，你上一次用Skype是跟誰去視像? 用SMS是跟誰去傳信? 卻沒有人答得到父母。這一堂課就由此而作結。

At last, the profession have made a conclusion, he said, there is no right or wrong in this topic. It just fully on how you treat humanities. Humana have long enforcing they are an independent individual, but they never are. In the simplest way to see is the invention of language, language is treated as a term of seeking connection with another one. So, it prove human cannot be a independent individual. And the professor ask, who do you think which is your most intimate person? Most of us answer Parents. And he asked, than who do you contact last time when you use Skype or SMS? And the course end on this.

看到了@deanliu 的帖子，就讓我想起了科技看起來不單止不能拉近人，反倒讓人更加的孤獨了。尤其是當大家都習慣於網絡中的匿名性後，到底在科技的進步之下，人與人之間的關係會不會需要被重新定位呢? 會不會幾十年之後人類已經不需要再為了活下去而見面了?

After I read @deanliu ‘s post, it reminds me that technology not only can’t bring human closer, but making human more lonely, especially when we all talk about the anonymity of internet. When technology developed faster, will the human relation be redefined? Maybe 50 years later, we don’t have to face a real person but totally live by our own.

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Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy it!
And please follow me and see my other post if you like it: @victorier

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