After last month's heated debate on whether household staff should be made to wear uniforms, we turn to society trendsetters Paulina Bohm, Linda Soo-Tan, John Kim and Adrian Ong for their take on July's Great Debate about whether technology ruins holidays.

 

Paulina Bohm

Businesswoman and mother of two

Yes

"Last year, we decided to take a family-style vacation to introduce the children to their European roots and history. With the help of technology, our plane tickets were bought, the hotels and cars were reserved, and even museum tickets were secured. That should have been the moment to ban all technology apart from the occasional Skype call to the family dogs, but no such thing happened.

Each family member brought along their absolutely necessary gadgets on the trip: the laptop to follow up on work e-mails; the tablet to Facebook, Tweet and Instagram the progress of the trip down to the latest meal and shopping achievement; the smartphones and play consoles to crush candy, rush minions and shape Minecraft monuments. The real monuments, ancient castles and authentic meals were mere backdrops for selfies that then required a few hours’ work on the laptop to be enhanced before being posted online for ‘friends’ to admire.

Then a resolute ‘STOP’ from yours truly halted all those undertakings at once. After few sullen hours, the real holiday started. We talked, shared our food, argued and laughed, snapped pictures with a real camera, and even wrote postcards to grandmas. We had the best time ever. And yes, after the initial detox, a few evening hours were granted to catch up on e-mails, update Facebook and search for new landmarks to explore. 

Technology can be useful and even enhance your vacation, but use it sparingly so it doesn’t get in the way of real experiences and human interactions. Gadgets are good servants but never good masters—on holidays and always."

 

Linda Soo-Tan

Dedicated fundraiser and Past President of Ikebana International Singapore

No

"I’m definitely not someone who likes to leave everything behind and disconnect from the rest of the world when I head off on a long holiday. Forget everything and everyone? Forget it! I want to be able to stay connected with others, whether by text or phone calls. My gadgets are definitely coming with me on holiday.

Not knowing your way around a new destination can be quite trying, but with a map app and GPS on your smartphone, you can find your way more easily. Or, as a more extreme example, imagine if you’re on a desert tour and you get left behind, or on a mountain hike and you get lost—without a phone, there’s no way to call for help. There’d be no hope, and I find that very scary! Technology gives me the option of getting help if I need it.

Technology is here to stay, and it’s up to the individual to use gadgets and social media without being enslaved to it. If I want to enjoy a place or some time uninterrupted, or if I’m in a different time zone and don’t want to answer calls at night, I can always switch off my mobile phone. 

And if I’m on holiday, of course I need to have my camera to capture the scenery, flowers and photos with family and friends. I don’t have to update everybody on social media about every move I make, but as with everyone else, I want pictures for the memories. And getting holiday snaps are so much more convenient with your smartphone that’s with you all the time, so why would I want to leave mine behind or turn it off?"

 

John Kim

Managing Partner at Amasia Associates and father of two

No

"Increasingly better cameras allow us to make stunning records of our holidays. Social networks allow us to share those memories with our loved ones. Online review sites like TripAdvisor enable more effective planning, and faster planes get us to our destinations more efficiently.

There is a whole host of technology companies working to solve the next layer of travel pain points. AnyRoad and BeMyGuest link travellers with local tour guides, and Grata improves customer support at hotels using asynchronous messaging. Elon Musk’s Hyperloop promises to shuttle us from Los Angeles to San Francisco in a mouth-watering 35 minutes.

Because technology empowers people, it often acts as a magnifying glass on human behaviour and intentions (much the same way money does). Since we are not perfect, we all exhibit negative habits that are much more apparent when better technology enters our lives.

Probably the most cited example here relates to connectivity. I’m a bit of a workaholic, so the fact that I can check e-mail and make Skype calls while I’m on the road prohibits me from experiencing amazing destinations at times. However, I can turn my phone off whenever I want to, so it’s not technology’s fault, it’s mine!"

  

Adrian Ong

Managing Director of E-Lume Pte Ltd and father of one

No

"'Technology' can refer to many different things, from smartphones to cameras, televisions, laptops, ipads and so on. Even cars and planes are the result of advances in technology and indeed, we wouldn’t be able to do without them for most of our holidays.

If the technology in question here is smartphones, my personal take is that they certainly should not be used during meal times. At restaurants for instance, it is common to see a whole family engaged in their own activities on their phones. One could be reading Facebook updates, the other would be scanning posts on Instagram, and yet another could be playing a favourite mobile game or chatting with a friend.

This behaviour is the epitome of rudeness and defeats the purpose of having a social gathering in the first place. Do social gatherings or the act of physically meeting others not mean anything to us anymore? Has cyberspace downplayed the need for face-to-face socialising?

Personally, I mainly use my mobile phone for work-related matters. As my wife Michelle and I run our own business, it is imperative that we are constantly communicating with our staff on pricing and other issues even while we are away on holiday. In fact, being able to do this gives me peace of mind. Knowing that things at work are fine while I am away allows me to relax and enjoy my holiday better.

So technology is not all that bad in certain instances. It really boils down to how you take advantage of technology without allowing it to destroy precious time with family and friends, and while on vacation."