Pitch
What will happen when an aging population meets a younger generation that appears to value online engagement above face-to-face interaction?
Description
Make life easier/more difficult for Singapore?
Easier
Describe the change
The trend of an aging population is not a new one - it is a trend that has concerned our leaders in ages past and continues to plague our society today. Have we grown so accustomed to this that we no longer pay attention to the fact that a vast majority of our elderly sit at home (or in other places, such as coffee shops, void decks, old folks homes, etc.), waiting to be engaged, waiting to interact with the younger ones, even in their amber years?
The above, coupled with the advent of technology and growing social technology/media trends have made it easier to "keep in contact" without actually having any real contact. Might we have led our young to believe that engagement over the internet, over video-conference (i.e. skype etc), or via text messages is sufficient to deepen relationships within and between families, and within the Nation? Might we have missed something in the course of running the race and living our fast-paced lifestyles?
How will this change impact Smart Nation Singapore in 2030?
I have made no mistake in classifying this trend as making life "easier" for Singapore - smart (social) technology makes things much more convenient for us and that it something we cannot dismiss or trivialize.
We must careful however, not to ignore what is at risk or at stake in our bid to become a Smart Nation (and an increasingly well-connected Nation). Might we forget what the "human touch"? That as we become more proficient in our use of technology, we might also exclude those (e.g. the elderly) who take to such use of technology less quickly or effectively. Cast a stone in any direction, and it is likely to land in the proximity of people who stare only at their smart phones, but find it difficult to make eye contact with one another.
It is undoubtedly true that our lives are made simpler and easier with technological advances - it is now easier to hear someone without actually listening; to be "connected" but not really engaged; to be together but still feel alone.
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