Future of Technology & Human Needs Technology

Technology: Future of Technology & Human Needs Future of Technology & Human Needs: Technology The Future of Technology in Organizations Technology and social media have changed the way organizations conduct business, and how individuals associate and interact with each other. Based on what has been observed so far, one can expect the sphere of organizational communication to change significantly over the coming years. First, organizations can be expected to diverge widely in how they communicate.

They will adopt a wide array of social media tools for communication, in the process creating different work environments and processes. There will be no unity in intra-organizational communication trends; organizations will differ widely in how they communicate internally. Secondly, email use will be replaced with social media use -- organizations will shift their projects into online spaces, with alerts for providing relevant updates. Skype, Facebook, and other platforms that allow for effective interaction will erode the significance of email as a tool for intra-organizational communication.

Virtual meetings will become more prominent in the organizational setting as more and more organizations adopt teleconferencing facilities. Moreover, multiple formats, including quasi-3D, gesture recognition, voting, screen sharing and video will be generated to allow for better interaction in virtual meetings. Social media and technology will make it easier for more and more organizations to operate internationally. Social media platforms will make it easier for organizations to interact with, and coordinate communication with business partners across national boundaries.

As a result, more and more organizations are likely to expand their operational networks beyond their home countries. There are a variety of ways through which organizations operating internationally could use social media. First, they could use social media platforms to understand the cultures of the markets within which they intend to operate. Through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, organizations are able to interact with people from diverse cultures (Sawyer, 2011).

This provides ample opportunities for understanding diverse cultures, and is crucial for ensuring that an organization conducts itself, and designs its products in a culturally-sensitive manner when operating beyond its geographical borders (Sawyer, 2011). Organizations could also rely on social media platforms to obtain insight on the dynamics of the markets within which they intend to venture. Likes and shares on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms could provide insight on the likes and preferences of people in a potential market.

This knowledge could in turn be used to design products and services according to the market's preferences and expectations. Part Two: Needs and Media Organizations respond to a number of human needs in their use of technology and social media. These include diversion needs, recognition needs, progression needs, learning needs, and relationship needs, among others. Of these, the relationship need is the most important. Organizations should always strive to respond to this need in their social media practices.

Social media platforms should not just be used for marketing purposes; rather, they should be more of an interaction platform, through which the company interacts with customers and obtains their views on product offerings and service delivery. Organizations need to use these platforms to build a personal relationship with their customers, so that they (the customers) feel like part of the organization, and not just buyers.

When a customer visits a company's page on Facebook or Twitter, and posts a comment about a product offering or a view about the organization's services, he/she is interested in building a relationship with the company, and ensuring that it improves for the better. The customer expects the organization to respond as a sign that it values the relationship that it shares with the customer.

This two-way mode of communication and interaction is what satisfies the customer's relationship need because it gives them a sense of belonging and assures them that the company values their views and opinions. This is an example of a relationship need. When the customer's expectations are met, a relationship is established between the parties, where the customer gives their loyalty, and the company delivers high-quality products and services. It is prudent, therefore, that organizations devise ways of identifying and responding to their customers' relationship needs through social media.

First, they need to view social media platforms as platforms for interacting with the customer, and not just communicating information about their products to potential buyers (Couldry, 2012). Moreover, they need to view the customer as part of the organization, and not just as a mere buyer (Couldry, 2012). This will enable them to pay greater attention towards ensuring that customers' relationship needs and expectations are met, and that their views and contributions on social media.