“Technology gives us the facilities that lessen the barriers of time and distance – the telegraph and cable, the telephone, radio, and the rest.” (Emily Greene Balch).
Fast-growing technology is a major part of all our lives. There is no denying that it is a dominant, and perhaps the most dominant, factor in this era, setting our age apart from all its predecessors and allowing us to believe that anything is possible.
It has certainly fundamentally altered the role, and the lives, of seafarers.
Nowadays, everything from navigation to catering involves the use of digital software. Automated cargo handling systems mean fast and efficient operations, lower the risk of human error, reduce emissions and greatly shorten waiting times. Digital technology means that seafarers can connect with their loved ones who are miles away. It has been a boon for the maritime industry as it can connect a vast number of ideas and concepts in a very small timespan and can minimize what was previously extensive manual work. Other aspects like navigation have become much more scientific, and operationally it is far easier to keep track of cargoes and to communicate with all different teams involved.
So seagoing life is no longer just sails and knots. Importantly, here, it’s also seeing where you are heading, in your mind, first of all by knowing where you are by remembering where you’ve been.
While technology has been improving many aspects of seafarers’ lives, it is also causing a sense of loss of control. Seafarers are obliged to use constantly changing technology, and many of those who are facing challenges in order to adapt themselves, and to keep up with all the new developments, are also questioning their own abilities. Digital technology has been able to speed up all processes, but it is also causing high expectation of rapid familiarity, and in some cases (if people are struggling) this means extra work that nobody sees, sometimes coupled with lower self-esteem.
It might also make seafarers fear that their work, and thus their roles, are replaceable, and that in time they will be replaced, by digital technology. And more use of technology means less human interaction at a workplace that is already far away from friends and family, so there is less interaction there, too. So, in terms of work and family life combined, socialising becomes jeopardised, leading to loneliness, anxiety and even incompatibility. Furthermore, because of high expectations about coping with the new technology, it also gets more difficult to manage the work-life balance, leading to yet more stress and anxiety.
Moreover, increased screen time – and we all know what that means, whether at work or play – and fast-paced digital software are lowering the human attention span. This might mean difficulty in focussing, in a role that needs patience and concentration, and also a lessening of creative abilities in problem-solving. Teamwork is nowadays ever more digitally based than founded on human interaction, and this might cause seafarers to feel alone at times of difficulty, hence even more work-related stress. And regrettably we can add to that that seafarers might also feel security and privacy concerns, due to the extensive use of digitalization in crew engagement and placement, on account of possible security breaches or theft of data.
Technology should improve your life, not become your life.
Complete dependency on digital technology for all maritime tasks would totally change our ways of working, and any disruption in that could cause havoc, with diminished problem-solving abilities and difficulties with focussing making things worse.
Seafarers might feel incompetent in such situations, and that would further lessen self-esteem, and technology becoming such a big part of our lives can also lead to health issues like sleep problems, eye strain, headaches, fatigue, increased stress, anxiety and even depression. All of this can seriously adversely affect mental health, which would mean further lower productivity and more acute social issues. In many ways it can be a vicious circle, and we must also remember that social media are known to be responsible for distraction in many forms, including negativity (from comparing our lives to those of others) and even narcissism.
“Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master” (Christian Lange)
There should be maintained a balance of use of technology in the maritime industry, with clear-cut boundaries in order to maintain sufficient human involvement. Also, especially on board ships, there needs to be regular technology-free activities to ensure the kind of social interaction that has a supporting, reassuring and so calming effect. Seafarers should not be solely dependent on digital media – they should reach out for help, and seek connections in person, and things must be structured so they do that. Their involvement in this would give them a sense of responsibility and would improve their self-esteem, hence also better job gratification and thus a healthy and productive work culture.
Seafarers should retain a sense of control and be able to banish any feeling of technology controlling them, and for a proper work-life balance the rational use of technology together with, not in replacement of, human engagement, is very important.
A proper work-life balance very much helps in maintaining good physical and mental well-being among seafarers, and engagement of the human spirit must always prevail over use of technology.
Rohit Sehgal, Third Officer, BW ELM.
