Order from us for quality, customized work in due time of your choice.
Digitalization has introduced a range of undeniably useful options and opportunities for people worldwide, enhanced communication and global connectivity being the key advantages. However, with the rapid development and integration of innovative technology into peoples lives, the connection to the physical space and the physical perception of self have become increasingly less tangible. Moreover, some scholars, such as McClay and McAllister (2014), post that the connection in question has partially been already lot. Although the described phenomenon should be regarded as the inevitable effect of technological development and the acceptance of innovation, the outcomes of losing the physical space must be taken into consideration. While it is important to be flexible enough to adjust to innovative solutions, the sense of place that McClay and McAllister (2014) outline as an essential part of ones identity must also be maintained by connecting it to ones cultural legacy and essential stages in personal development that have define the current understanding of the world.
While the role of the digital revolution witnessed recently and the rapid increase in the transfer of most areas of peoples lives into the digital context, physical spaces also remain a crucial part of their lives. Since people themselves are corporeal beings, as McClay and McAllister (2014) remark, depriving them of the opportunity to experience spatial sensations would be a major omission in supporting peoples needs. Specifically, it is vital to keep in mind that physical sensations, including the ability to experience space physically by moving within it represent one of the five core methods of obtaining information (McClay & McAllister, 2014). Therefore, by leaving spatial perceptions out of the scope of peoples daily lives, one will deprive them of a crucial part of experiencing the world around them.
In relation to the previously made point, it is also vital to keep in mind that space-related experiences constitute a vital part of peoples memories, namely, the ability to relate to a particular phenomenon, person, or event. Indeed, whenever attempting at capturing a specific experience as one of the core occurrences that shape ones identity and, therefore, are placed in the confinements of the long-term memory, it is quite natural for most people to harken these memories back to specific places (McClay & McAllister, 2014). The described phenomenon can be considered ubiquitous due to the overwhelming importance of photography and painting before it as the tools for capturing the magic of the moment and, therefore, allowing one to form a strong connection between a specific emotion, the people or events that spurred it, and the setting in which it was experienced (McClay & McAllister, 2014). Therefore, the role of space remains crucial due to the function that it performs in shaping ones memories and, ultimately, contributes to building ones personal and cultural identity.
Arguably, one could claim that the transfer to the digital environment has facilitated the transition to a new context where visual and audio experiences as a part of the constellation of physical perceptions have become the dominant means of forming memories and experiences. Indeed, a range of people have successfully embraced the opportunities that digital communication provides, forming new friendships and strong bonds without the presence of a physical contact or the actual physical space in which the interactions occur. Thus, the significance of losing the connection to physical space and the concerns raised by McClay and McAllister (2014) could be interpreted as slightly exaggerated.
However, even with the propensity toward digital assimilation observed in a range of people using innovative technology, the importance of the loss of physical space still remains a crucial ad undeniably negative part of forming new experiences. Specifically, compared to the pre-digital era, when different locations were associated with different experiences and people, therefore, contributing to the richness of the cognitive perceptions of individuals, the current state of being tied to the confinements of ones room when forming essential emotional connections reduces the range and multitude of personal experiences. As a result, the importance of specific memories that have been formed in the new context of the digital setting are inherently devalued, which cheapens the experience and renders the memories in question as less significant (McClay & McAllister, 2014). Consequently, the threat of building strong emotional connections and the opportunities to reminisce drops drastically.
The observed trends have been occurring both on social and personal levels to a range of people. Considering my own experiences, I should mention that, while I do treasure the bond created with my online friends, the lack of physical space in which we could communicate makes the described connection much looser than it could be. Namely, multiple conversations that have been had via Zoom and similar tools have merged into a single and inconsistent memory. Due to the lack of difference in the environment in which the conversations in question occurred, singling out specific ones has become increasingly difficult, which has affected the quality of relationships, as well as the ability to form memories, in general.
Moreover, since emotions experienced during these conversations are no longer tied to a specific place, the opportunity to revisit them and reminisce by returning to a specific physical place has disappeared. Therefore, with the loss of the spatial dimension as a vital part of the process of forming memories by evoking specific sensations experienced during the communication, particularly, the ones related to spatial perceptions, a noticeable part of my life has vanished. As a result, the quality of relationships has suffered, and my ability to form memories has been impaired to an extent. Namely, the specified experience points to the fact that memories are tethered to physical perceptions among other factors, which is why depriving one of the chance to integrate spatial perceptions into a specific memory impels erasing a vital part of it. Thus, the loss of connection to physical space implies the inability to form complete memories and, consequently, build strong emotional connections to others.
On a less desperate note, the loss of physical space as one of the key characteristics of the contemporary digital communication context has also predetermined the increased role of other types of perception and their significance in building memories and establishing rapport with others. Namely, the propensity toward perceiving the world as a combination of mostly visual and audial information has defined the development of a more nuanced perception of visual and audial information, as well as a more t=meticulous analysis of text (McClay & McAllister, 2014). Thus, the opportunities for expressing oneself and developing memories based on the visual and audial components of a specific experience have evolved significantly, offering a greater range of opportunities.
Moreover, in regard to personal expression, the shrinking of physical spaces and the transfer to the virtual setting implies being deprived of a vital aspect of nonverbal communication. Although, arguably, the use of innovative technology allows viewing participants of a conversation and, therefore, observing them using nonverbal language as well as verbal language, the fact that these conversations are no longer placed in the context of a physical space implies losing a significant part of the context that the specified nonverbal elements possess. Therefore, there is an obvious adverse outcome of being disconnected from physical space. In a certain sense, the described outcome can be viewed as losing an essential tool for communication and personal expression. Therefore, the transfer to the digital setting can be considered a factor leading to the loss of physical space or, at the very least, to its inevitable shrinking to the point where it remains unchangeable. The described phenomenon affects interpersonal relationship, particularly, the ability to form profoundly emotional connections, due to the absence of a vital part of the communication process. Moreover, the inability to connect the memories developed when communicating virtually to specific spatial experiences results in losing an important part of ones identity. Therefore, the observed trend in abandoning the physical space for the sake of digital opportunities also entails negative outcomes.
Despite the necessity to be able to function in the context of the globalized setting and the digitalized environment, one must also retain the sense of spatial relationships by retaining memories of spatial connectivity and building the connection between the geographical location and cultural legacy. The proposed strategies will allow one to keep using digital tools that are thoroughly divorced from any spatial context while also retaining the strong sense of identity associated with a specific space. As a result, one will be able to reconcile with ones physical existence while simultaneously embracing the complexity of the relationships within the digital world.
Reference
McClay, W., & McAllister, T. (Eds.). (2014). Why place matters: Geography, identity, and civic life in modern America. Encounter Books.
Order from us for quality, customized work in due time of your choice.