Irish Technologist tells EU officials to "Get real with modern communications"
Over an Irish Breakfast, served in the Irish Embassy, Brussels, Dublin company Animo Communications hosted a talk by neuroscientist and technologist, Dr. Gary McDarby, exploring the subject of how society may be making more ‘noise' thanks to social media services like Twitter and Facebook, but is in reality communicating less.
Thirty EU communications directors, including members of the diplomatic corps and the EU Parliament, listened to Dr. McDarby's optimistic but cautionary talk on the benefits and dangers of a world that seems to reward connections made in an on-line world, over those made in the real world.
Evolution may have been happening for some 3 billion years, with the ability of humans to understand facial expressions and non-verbal communications a crucial defining element of human evolution, but in a single generation, humans are possibly on a course to undermining many of these essential skills due to time spent on-line.
"That's a real possibility if young people today choose computer games over participation in a sport, and if they create and maintain hundreds of ‘friends' in the virtual world without spending time meeting and interacting with people in the real world."
Dr. McDarby was quick to state that he himself is an avowed technophile, but quoted the example of Japan, a country that is passionate about technology, and an emerging phenomenon of a generation of teenagers who are almost devoid of interpersonal skills, and the ability to communicate properly one-to-one. "Technology is neither inherently bad, nor good: but what direction is it taking us in and do we really know where we are going?"
Explaining the event's origins, and the close cooperation the company is receiving from Enterprise Ireland, Animo Communications' Director of Business Development Europe, Donal Brady, said "We opened an office in Brussels because Brussels is such a confluence of ideas and messages, and many organisations depending on being heard - and understood. We see events like this, and others we plan to run, as providing some insights for European communicators who have more demands than ever being placed on them by the on-line world. Enterprise Ireland have been a great help in terms of the overall Brussels initiative and the arrangement of this event."
END
Contact:
Donal Brady
Business Development Director
Animo Communications
5-7 Westland Square | Pearse Street | Dublin 2
Tel.: +353 1 646 8243 | Mobile: +353 87 804 9490 | Email: donal@animo.ie
Dr. Gary Mc Darby is a neuroscientist, inventor and entrepreneur, with a specific interest in emotional intelligence in the human brain. His work has principally involved looking at ways that technology can play a profound and positive role in human evolution. Some of his research areas include using technology in education, mental health and disability, areas which have greatly benefited his years working in the not-for-profit sector.
Formerly a principal research scientist in MIT's Media Lab Europe, Gary led a multi-disciplinary group called MindGames. This group explored how a combination of sensory immersion (augmented reality), gameplay, novel biometric interfaces and intelligent bio-feedback could constructively affect the state of the human mind and unlock dormant or under-used skills and knowledge.
Gary is the author of numerous papers and articles across both technical and humanities fields and has been the keynote speaker at events like the National Broadband Conference, the Irish EU Presidency and the annual Doors of Perception International Design Competition.
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