Albert Einstein once stated, “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction.” March’s Army Resilience Directorate webinar presenter, Chris Dancy, pushed back at this sentiment with a variety of ways to harness technology to enhance human interaction and relationships.
Dancy – known as the “World’s Most Connected Person” for having over 700 sensors and apps measuring every segment of his life – said it’s not about the technology, but something very human: values. He said the first step for using technology to improve human relationships is for people to figure out what they value then develop a system to measure those areas they value.
Dancy shared his own inspiring journey of going from being overweight, chain-smoking, and drinking 36 diet sodas a day, to incorporating a values-based approach that helped him use technology to lose over 100 pounds and focus on engaging in meaningful relationships.
He said that when using technology, people often go about it the wrong way.
“We don’t know how to measure what we care about, so we care about what we measure,” Dancy said, stating this approach is backward and can lead to ineffective results or a fear of using technology to improve our lives.
Dancy offered specific insights on best practices for using apps to improve nutrition, fitness, sleep, maintain focus, stress-relief, and physical safety, but cautioned the audience to not get caught up in just measuring things, but also to focus on action.
“You don’t get better by counting steps, you get better by taking them,” he noted.
ARD outreach webinars are held monthly and frequently provide Continuing Education Units for those requiring certification as a Sexual Assault Response Coordinator or Victim Advocate.
The April 22 webinar featured best-selling author David Burkus, and presenters from the Consortium for Health and Military Performance will be featured in May. To learn more visit www. armyresilience.army.mil/ard/webinar.html
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