Techevolution, the problem with modern society.

There are many people who do not believe in social evolution or human evolution, I propose the following...

Now, I am a good christian male. I believe in God and have faith to that end. To that point, I cannot understand how people in a Christian world will discount evolution. Many religions all over the world believe there is more to it than just the printed word. So, according to Genesis, god created the world and the Garden of Eden. He, nowhere in that book, states HOW he did it. There is also the argument that we do not know the time of God, and thus have no idea how long that process took. It's completely irresponsible, even to God, to state that he didn't use tools of natural selection and a scientific process to complete those means. How can human arrogance conclude the means of God?

That being said, we have a serious problem with human evolution, and that's Techevolution. Darwin believed that evolution occurs as a process of natural selection. You have trait A, which in turn will be more useful than trait B, and thus through competition is phased out. Technology is the great equalizer to natural selection. We have, at this point, gotten past physical traits and rely on what we can do technologically. You merely have to look at the process given to enabling handicapped people, to see a direct result. Now, in my heart, I am a complete Darwinist. I believe that there are processes in separating those that belong in this world, and those that don't. Technology enables those that would have fallen by the wayside many years ago, to flourish.

Case in point, let's take most of my co-workers here. These are people constantly plugged into the web and their PC most of the time. Here is the issue, we all know that these so called "tech people" have the social skills of a hedgehog. In social situations, they are timid or overtly loud. There is no social stigma for them, and they just don't remember or follow the rules. Let's apply social evolution to this equation. Prior to the last few years, these people would have no option to re-produce. Now, with the barrage of social networking and on-line dating, people with the same social retardation, can get together and procreate. Thus passing the learned behavior, social trait, or gene. With the classic definition of natural selection, this behavior would not have been passed. So, with technology we are completely bypassing these processes. Ask ourselves this one question, Is that good for society?

I've had to take a long and hard look at myself, and my behaviors. When I have been in a gaming mood, I would spend time on the web and on MMORPG's, and my inter-personal interactions would be affected. I found myself not understanding certain behaviors and acted typically out of line in most social situations. Luckily, I am a social person by nature, so I could cope and get out of that mode.

However, what about the millions of people who don't have the same coping and modification mechanisms that I do? Would they be able adapt back to typical social behavior? I don't believe so. I've worked and been with these brand of people most of my professional life, and I would dare say in the last 5 to 10 years, people have become more detached and less courteous. It all stems from that lack of contact. You don't have to say "Please" and "Thank You" to a computer. For example, take a friend of mine. Now, he was not a social butterfly by any means. However, over the years, his job being in front of a PC for 8 hours a day, combined with paying WoW and other RPG's, has caused him to withdraw more and more socially. This is a behavior that is not atypical of most gamers and others involved in on-line practices.

I have really wanted to do an experiment lasting 1 year and test peoples social responsibility as well as attractiveness and social awareness. I would take 10 people. 5 involved in solely on line practices, and the others in well rounded activities and see where they are at after 1 year. This would go to show how, we as humans aren't designed for all the computer use that we do. I don't want everyone to think that I'm turning Amish or anything, but is all this technology really a good thing? I beginning to think that it's not.

We need to throw a lot of this stuff away, or keep it under control, like drinking or anything else. They advertise the hell out of not smoking and changing behaviors that way. How is on-line so different? We need to ask ourselves why we are getting on line? A lot of times, it's not just used for information, but to look up comedy and other things. A rule of thumb that I use, is that am I only using streaming media to look up a video or maybe two, then that's no problem. However, if I'm spending more that 15 min looking up videos and other things, then you've probably got an on-line problem and your bartender should cut you off. Anyone reading this is probably already saying, "I don't have a problem. This behavior does not make any difference with me." I dare say this, try limiting for 1 month and see what it does. You might notice a world of difference.