Telecommunication Innovations and Human-Technology Interface: A Review

Abstract

IntroductionThis paper seeks to contribute to existing knowledge on the interface and crossfire between telecommunication technology innovations and human engagements. It modestly reviews the transient nature of human-technology engagement especially by looking at the impacts of changing technology innovations and human social interactions (Wajcman, 2008). In his views, Bakhit (2016), held that telecoms industry has continuously provided end users with new tech innovations and disruptive technologies. Grubber (2003) held that technology and human society are fast changing variables that can be better understood within the field of a concept. As a concept, technology is relative to time and space and so is human society. This early extrapolation is predicated on the idea that what counts as socio-technological change in one society could be perceived differently in another, may be non-existent and perhaps not even envisioned in another society or clime. Antonucci, et al (2017), argued that socio-technological changes and the effects on human-technology engagementis becoming fast and increasingly complicated.Therefore, our working definition and understanding of the word 'technology' is derived from an adaptive conceptual approach (Jaakkola, 2020), due to the identified relativity and nature of the crossfire between modern telecommunication innovations and human societal interface.Study examined alongside the issues of industry regulation, speed and degree of impact of technology innovations identifying notable nuances resulting from this crossroad, such as an increase in smart engineering, internet speed, cloud technology, remote sensing, robotics and drone technology, emerging artificial intelligence (AI) etc. which have produced dislocations from what is already known and practised to what is today known and practised, resulting in the term the 'new normal' even at family level (Walsh, 2012).According to Marsh et al (2016), these socio-technological changes have fast separated individuals from the traditional tightly knitted community life resulting to a growing human userapathy and growing user knowledge gap in the development and deployment processes in modern telecommunication innovations. Thepower to manage these socio-technological changes and the increasing level of human-technology engagement has rested more in the hands of transnational corporations and national governments (Christopherson& Clark, 2007).However, Akaka & Stephen (2014), are of the view that technology is the operant (chief driver) in the innovation value chain and creation process when compared to the human factor. Thus, they have opined that technology drives the interface.