The development of computers and the Internet, starting in the 1990s, and the rise of smartphones and wearable devices have transformed human lifestyles into a networked form. However, this artificial evolution has its limits, and it is necessary to explore future evolutionary directions that overcome the physical distance between humans and machines.
In the 1990s, computers became widespread and internet technology developed rapidly. This is when society entered a new phase, and the accessibility of information and knowledge was dramatically improved. The development of the internet has also had an enormous impact on the world’s economy, culture, education, politics, and many other areas beyond just information sharing. Then, in the 2010s, a new tool emerged: the smartphone. Smartphones offer portability and accessibility that traditional computers can’t match, and they allow people to stay connected anywhere, anytime. No one would argue that the rise of internet technology and smartphones has revolutionized human life.
In addition, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and big data technologies have also transformed our daily lives. Smartphones have become more than just a way to make and receive calls and messages; they have the ability to analyze and predict users’ life patterns and provide personalized services through features like AI assistants. While these technologies have made our lives more convenient and efficient, they have also created a new dependency. We spend a significant portion of our lives connected to networks through computers and smartphones, forming large and small societies. This means that we spend very little time in our daily lives as isolated individuals.
As long as they are connected to the network, networked humans are constantly receiving information as part of a society, becoming sources of information themselves and constantly uploading information to the network, and based on these actions, they have developed a cognitive range that transcends physical distance and a cognitive speed that is comparable to the speed of global radio waves. In other words, modern humans have become a kind of artificially evolved human being with a cognitive range and cognitive speed that are completely different from traditional humans through computers and smartphones.
However, this artificial evolution of humans is not perfect, and its limitations are clear. Artificially evolved and networked humans have been able to transcend the physical distance of information through computers and smartphones. However, they have not overcome the physical distance between humans, computers, and smartphones, which is a fundamental limitation because it requires a physical connection between humans and machines. Without computers and smartphones within their reach, networked humans are no different from traditional humans. Without computers and smartphones, humans are isolated entities, incomplete beings with very limited cognitive range and cognitive speed.
These technological advances have also changed the way people interact with each other. Online interactions have often replaced offline meetings, and people spend a lot of time expressing themselves and communicating with others through social media and messengers. However, these changes have also weakened our emotional connections and contributed to feelings of isolation. As networked humans, we have enjoyed a sense of belonging to a society, a vast cognitive scope, and a high cognitive speed, so when we are disconnected from our networks, we feel a strong sense of loneliness, loss, and helplessness.
The ultimate way to overcome this fear of network disconnection is to completely eliminate the root cause of disconnection: the physical distance between humans, computers, and smartphones. “What if, like the characters in science fiction movies like Ghost in the Shell and The Matrix, computers were inserted into our bodies? We are one organism with multiple organs in our bodies. Similarly, what if humans could have a computer inside their bodies as an artificial organ that could be freely connected to a network? We would be a new kind of creature, an artificially evolved being that is fully networked in the truest sense of the word.
However, the insertion of computers into the human body is still in the research and exploration phase, as the miniaturization of computers and related technologies such as brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are not yet sufficiently developed. It will be a long time before these technologies are commercialized, and ethical and social issues will need to be addressed along the way. Therefore, the next best option is a wearable device that minimizes the physical distance between humans and computers, such as the iWatch, which is worn directly on the body.
Traditional devices existed as separate entities on our desks, in our bags, and in our pockets, separated from our physical bodies. Wearable devices, on the other hand, are connected to the network in the form of wristwatches, glasses, and clothing that are directly attached to our bodies. Although they are not at the level of computers that are directly inserted into the body, wearable devices that are attached to our bodies connect us to the network faster and more naturally than traditional computers and smartphones. And, most importantly, by attaching themselves to our bodies, they are a direct reminder that we can be connected at any time. This alleviates the fear of disconnection that artificially evolved humans have. That’s why we’re so excited about new wearable devices, and why some of the biggest companies in the world are investing huge amounts of money in their development.
However, the emergence of the concept of wearable devices is about much more than just the emergence of new smart devices. In other words, the emergence of wearable devices is a manifestation of the fear of disconnection from the network that is inherent in the existence of networked humans and the artificial evolution of the last 20 years. Furthermore, the emergence of wearable devices is indicative of the direction of artificial evolution that humans will ultimately pursue in the future, which will be toward embedding computers in human flesh, completely eliminating the physical distance between humans and computers.
In other words, wearable devices are a milestone in artificial evolution that shows us where we’ve been and where we’re headed in the last 20 years. It’s more than just a technological advancement, it’s a major turning point that could fundamentally change the way we exist and live. Beyond wearable devices, we should be open to the possibility that the boundaries between humans and machines will become even more blurred, and that we will eventually evolve into a new, fully fused form of existence.
