Years ago, motivational legend Zig Ziglar said, “It’s okay to talk to you; it’s only a problem if you find yourself saying, ‘Huh?’
When cell phones were first around, “car phones,” I remember the first time I saw someone say “hands free.” A gray-haired, well-dressed man was sitting in the seat of his bright red, fancy car, talking animatedly to what appeared to be him. It took me a while to adjust my initial reaction to this new world from “I think he might have ‘some problems'” to “Oh, he’s on the phone.” Before that, the only time I saw people talking “alone” was when there was something strange “in the upper room.”
Since then, it is “normal” – or at least common – to catch people on the street or in shopping centers talking about what seems to be no one, sometimes obvious to anyone inside to that place, usually those who don’t care about people I know (or I don’t care).
After they disembark, and before the flight attendant opens the doors for disembarkation, it is customary for many passengers to stand up and stand on the curb, as if that will get them out faster. Cell phones ring and come to life on wheels. In such crowded environments, it is impossible not to hear one side of many conversations; topics ranging from business timelines to family updates. However, sometimes the calls can be more, er, or “closer,” sometimes too much.
Some people have no boundaries.
The ever-present cell phone, along with the evolution of “smart” connected devices has changed society dramatically, leading us to a place where we are more used to voice commands than typing. After all, it might be easier to say, “Siri, remind me…” than to pull out a pen and paper.
Based on the method of talking to inanimate objects, televisions can be controlled by talking to them, such as lights, thermostats and even other devices – which can be controlled by central hubs such as Siri or Google Home Assistant. (Interesting piece of trivia: Common requests asked of domestic helpers include, “turn on the lights,” “give me the forecast,” “read me the news” and “how do you spell?”.)
On a sad note, I found out that I am actually changing our Echo Dot, thanks to Alexa after “her” help. That in itself may seem odd, but it seems that most people do that because “he” is pre-programmed to respond. So far, he has responded with “I’m welcome,” “No problem” and even an enthusiastic “You bet!”
We stand in the infancy of artificial intelligence. Some predict dire consequences through annihilating events; others predict the outcome. Obviously, I don’t know where this will lead, and more importantly (at least for me), I won’t be there to see it. But, it begs the question, “Is it weird to say “thank you” to these resources for the information and help they provide?”
Believing that you can never be too appreciative, I came down on the side of, “No, it won’t hurt.” After all, I don’t really thank the device for what it is, more than the miracle of technology – and those who created it – that make our lives more connected or give us, please, entertainment or information.
How the future of this technology will be used is another question that will not depend so much on intelligence but rather on common, shared human feelings. Hopefully, there is no way to fake it.
Scott “Q” Marcus is the CRP (Chief Recovering Perfectionist) of www.ThisTimeIMeanIt.com. He is available for coaching, speaking, and reminders of what really matters at scottq@scottqmarcus.com.
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