Spheres of Perception

TIME to TAKE the DOG for a WALK:

They have coined a new phrase in Silicon Valley jargon— ‘pain point’. A pain point is any issue that may be a source of revenue for the money hungry  technology industry. An example here would be the trouble consumers (and perhaps the hesitation created) have to  go through to reach for a card in their  wallet before parting with their money. The arrival of ‘contactless payments’ are now here and soon we can merely swipe our smartphones to make a purchase.

Is there perhaps a form of arrogance and a misnomer in this hijacking of terminology by Silicon Valley, normally linked with a healthcare based on empathy and involved with physiological pain?    

Besides the fact that we have ill defined definitions of this so called increased efficiency we are getting (for of course a price) us normal folk are oblivious to these added new ‘pain points’ in our lives until kindly guided by the corporations marketing the new cures . 

Furthermore ignorance exists surrounding many frightening statistics indirectly costing the consumer or the environment.

So many, only 3 here:

 — Western nations dump 50 tonnes of e-rubbish in India each year .

—The average American adult spends 11 hours per day (70% of waking hours) on electronic media- this includes computers, smartphones, television violates etc.

—Recent studies indicate links to increased anxiety, depression and even addictive or aggressive behaviour linked to excessive use of electronic devices. This is besides the the physical problems, increase cardiovascular disease , obesity etc. as a result of less activity. 

The problem here is as healthcare workers we have a clear aim in addressing a pain point with as much efficiently as possible— to address a pressing and real existing suffering and distress in a patient (dog , horse, farm animal or human) with empathy and improve the quality of their lives.

Silicon Valley has only one clearly defined goal and that is profits and lots of it.

So perhaps, before arrogance overrule sense, we should take the dog for a walk, get some exercise and reserve terminology for its true intend.

Theo Holtzhausen

Reference:

New Philosopher p21-23 , no 11 April 2016.