Social Issues

As stated in the introduction, the data suggests we are much more a society of loners than we once were. It raises contradictory questions. Are we making ourselves more isolated because of technology, or is the free exchange of data making it unnecessary to remain social creatures? Or both? Increasingly, convenience of communication is verging on necessity. Scanadu opens a door to a world where a person’s health data could be known before they arrive at a hospital or doctor’s appointment. The impersonal nature of data in relation to an in-person diagnosis would further an already spiraling trend where interacting with people is less preferable than interacting with machinery. One study showed that regular use of Facebook led directly to marked bouts of depression (Guernsey, 2014). As every app and smart appliance becomes more and more in tune with the data of the user, not participating in the trend could produce marked antisocial behaviors with dire consequences. While not participating in Scanadu and apps like it do not pose an immediate threat to user safety, it is possible that the trend they are a part of, will do exactly that.

This is raised on their own website. No medical decision should be made without visiting a physician, they say. Thus, in spite of the device potentially making your medical life more apprehensible to a medical professional, there is a risk of it discouraging the user from using the data at all. There are very high profile cases in Japan and the US of young people not willing to leave their homes so they could spend time with their electronic devices (Samakow, 2013). This happens too often to be anecdotal. Encouraging patients to employ devices like this may amplify a tendency to remain at home and not seek the company of others, let alone medical professionals. Internet fasting camps have popped up all over Japan (Somakow, 2015). Internet addiction treatment centers are widespread in the US (Foran, 2015). The data does not yet support the idea that using smartphones or smart devices in excess constitutes a health threat, but it would appear that given the rise of these camps and treatment centers, it is not premature to be wary of things that increase our desire to avoid social interaction.