Will We Become A Virtual Society? (Week 16)
“I don’t think we should ever shake hands ever again, to be honest with you... Not only would it be good to prevent coronavirus disease; it probably would decrease instances of influenza dramatically in this country.” These were the words of Dr. Anthony Fauci at a White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing in early April. This statement triggered many responses by the media and public, who had several varying opinions and concerns regarding Fauci's comments. I mention this statement from Dr. Fauci because it is in many ways related to a recent realization that has been brought forth by the Coronavirus pandemic. This realization is that our society has the capability of socially functioning without physical interaction.
School, casual communications, and even work, in some cases has carried on via the utilization of technology during this pandemic. Of course, we have had access to this kind of technology for years but this might be the first time that we have depended it on it so heavily for virtually every aspect of life. This recent dependence on technology to keep our lives afloat begs the question: Could we live in an entirely virtual society in future years? A society with none, or little-to-no physical interaction? While this can be a thought provoking question, many may ask: Why would we ever want to do such a thing? There are many possible reasons for going entirely virtual as a society, but I believe that the most rational reason is on display right now: Safety.
School, casual communications, and even work, in some cases has carried on via the utilization of technology during this pandemic. Of course, we have had access to this kind of technology for years but this might be the first time that we have depended it on it so heavily for virtually every aspect of life. This recent dependence on technology to keep our lives afloat begs the question: Could we live in an entirely virtual society in future years? A society with none, or little-to-no physical interaction? While this can be a thought provoking question, many may ask: Why would we ever want to do such a thing? There are many possible reasons for going entirely virtual as a society, but I believe that the most rational reason is on display right now: Safety.
We are living our lives right now through our computers and phones because we know that there is danger lurking in the physical world in the form of a virus. However, the physical world also contains, and has always contained dangers that are outside of our control. Dangers that when compiled have harmed or killed far more people than even the boldest prediction models of the Coronavirus. For example, roughly 1.3 million people die in car accidents every year, and an additional 20-50 million are injured or disabled due to accidents on the road. So, if it is the fear of danger and death that has caused us to go virtual, why have we not reacted to car accident deaths using this same logic? Why have we not limited the amount of drivers on busy highways by only allowing people to drive who work jobs that require them to be physically present, and require those who do not have these jobs to work virtually? Why don't we lower the speed limit to thirty mph? An inconvenience for the many, in return for the safety of the few.
My point is that danger has always been prevalent in the physical world. Every time we open the front door and walk outside of our homes the chances of us harming ourselves or someone else increases. We pass on infection and disease to one another, we get into physical altercations that lead to injury and death, we get into car accidents and injure ourselves doing physical labor. But our response to these dangers has never been to stay inside with the hopes of limiting the risks that we know exists outside of our safe homes. But clearly we have attacked this virus with an entirely different mindset. I'd like to make it clear that I am not claiming the US response to Coronavirus was wrong or carried out poorly. I am simply addressing the fact that the US response, along with the responses of many other countries, has not been consistent with our approach to the dangers and risks we face on a daily basis. And if ever we reach a point where we begin to approach all dangers the same way that we have chosen to approach this one, living in an entirely virtual society may not just be a possibility, it could become our reality.
My point is that danger has always been prevalent in the physical world. Every time we open the front door and walk outside of our homes the chances of us harming ourselves or someone else increases. We pass on infection and disease to one another, we get into physical altercations that lead to injury and death, we get into car accidents and injure ourselves doing physical labor. But our response to these dangers has never been to stay inside with the hopes of limiting the risks that we know exists outside of our safe homes. But clearly we have attacked this virus with an entirely different mindset. I'd like to make it clear that I am not claiming the US response to Coronavirus was wrong or carried out poorly. I am simply addressing the fact that the US response, along with the responses of many other countries, has not been consistent with our approach to the dangers and risks we face on a daily basis. And if ever we reach a point where we begin to approach all dangers the same way that we have chosen to approach this one, living in an entirely virtual society may not just be a possibility, it could become our reality.
Source Links: https://nypost.com/2020/04/09/dr-fauci-makes-plea-that-americans-never-shake-hands-again/
https://www.thewanderingrv.com/car-accident-statistics/
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