In the rush toward technological progress, something critical is quietly eroding beneath our feet: our capacity for deep, human connection.

Recently, we’ve seen conversations around reimagining spaces like Cracker Barrel—some people are angry, some call it political, and others blame cultural shifts. Yet what’s really happening points to a much broader reality: in corporate boardrooms and innovation labs, decision-makers often equate technological modernization with progress, while ignoring what’s sacrificed in the process—shared aesthetics, community identity, and the ties that bind us together.

When Progress Leaves People Behind

One tech founder recently claimed that advances in artificial intelligence will soon allow a single person to start and run an entire company by themselves. To many, this sounds revolutionary. But here’s the challenge: is that really progress?

The evidence suggests otherwise. Study after study shows that rising technological engagement has correlated with increased social isolation, loneliness, anxiety, and depression (Murthy, 2023; Primack et al., 2017). Social resilience—the ability to handle differences of opinion, navigate conflict, and remain grounded in community—is waning as algorithms feed us only viewpoints we already agree with (Pariser, 2011).

We are not becoming more connected—we are becoming more isolated, fragmented, and intolerant.

History Repeats Itself

This isn’t the first time innovation has outpaced wisdom. Consider:

  • Fast food was marketed as an advancement in convenience but contributed to skyrocketing obesity and chronic disease rates (Stuckler & Nestle, 2012).
  • The information age gave us knowledge at our fingertips but also led to information overload, fractured attention spans, and symptoms of attention-deficit in populations not previously at risk (Rosen et al., 2013).
  • Now, social technology—platforms meant to connect us—are linked to increased loneliness, weaker in-person networks, and mental health challenges (Twenge, Haidt, Joiner, & Campbell, 2022).

The pattern is clear: when advances are introduced without guardrails, education, or intentional design, society pays the price.

Tech With Humanity at the Center

It doesn’t have to be this way. Technology can coexist with human advancement if it is managed responsibly. This means reinforcing self-efficacy, human agency, and the distinctly human qualities of compassion, leadership, and wisdom.

Ironically, even AI models describe themselves as tools that require human guidance. To leave technology to “self-drive” our culture is like handing the steering wheel to a child. It is our responsibility—as leaders, educators, and communities—to parent these technologies into productive maturity.

Leadership is not simply about intelligence. It is about humanity. True progress is measured not in lines of code or quarterly revenue, but in the wellbeing of families, the resilience of communities, and the dignity of individuals.

The Human Cost of Neglect

We are witnessing cultural shifts that bear out this neglect. In 1950, 43% of births in the United States were to women under age 25; in 2025, that number has dropped to just 20% and is projected by Pew Research Center to decline even further (Hays, 2025; Livingston, 2022). This is not just about economics or education—it is about the erosion of cultural conversations around family, belonging, and connection.

Re-Humanizing Healthcare and Society

At Tellegacy, we believe the antidote is simple but profound: re-humanize healthcare and society, one conversation at a time.

Through intergenerational storytelling, cross-cultural communication, and programs designed to reduce loneliness, we are rebuilding the relational fabric that technology alone cannot provide. Progress should never come at the expense of people.

The future we need is not tech-only or human-only. It is a future where technology serves humanity—and where humanity never forgets that caring is culture.

References

Hays, J. (2025, June 18). U.S. adults in their 20s and 30s plan to have fewer children than in the past. Pew Research Center. https://pewrsr.ch/43Oycpv

Livingston, G. (2022). They’re waiting longer, but U.S. women today more likely to have children than a decade ago. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org

Murthy, V. (2023). Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory on the healing effects of social connection and community. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Pariser, E. (2011). The filter bubble: What the Internet is hiding from you. New York, NY: Penguin Press.

Primack, B. A., Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Whaite, E. O., Lin, L. Y., Rosen, D., … & Miller, E. (2017). Social media use and perceived social isolation among young adults in the U.S. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 53(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2017.01.010

Rosen, L. D., Carrier, L. M., & Cheever, N. A. (2013). Facebook and texting made me do it: Media-induced task-switching while studying. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 948–958.

Stuckler, D., & Nestle, M. (2012). Big food, food systems, and global health. PLoS Medicine, 9(6), e1001242. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001242

Twenge, J. M., Haidt, J., Joiner, T. E., & Campbell, W. K. (2022). Underestimating digital media harm. Nature Human Behaviour, 6(10), 1373–1385. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01488-8

 

Hays, J. (2025, June 18). U.S. adults in their 20s and 30s plan to have fewer children than in the past. Pew Research Center. https://pewrsr.ch/43Oycpv