My seed article is a book called Alone Together, written by Sherry Turkle. This book explains how technology is shaping our modern relationships with others, with ourselves, and how it proposes itself as the architect of our intimacies. Technology becomes irresistible when what it offers meets our human vulnerabilities.
Although we are lonely, we are also scared of closeness. Digital connections and sociable robots may give the effect of companionship without the demands of friendship. Sherry explains, “Our networked life allows us to hide from each other, even as we are tied to each other. We’d rather text than talk.”
With text messaging, Face book posts, and Twitter page posts; we can keep things short and sweet. (Is this quality conversation?) If these short sweet conversations are what technology is all about, consequently we will reduce our expectations of each other. Online connections were first invented as a substitute for face-to-face interaction, which later became an impractical reason: Don’t have time to make a phone call? Shoot off a text message. On the account of convenience, the text message rapidly became the connection of choice. We discovered the network the world of connectivity to be uniquely suited to the overworked and overscheduled life it makes possible. Frequently, we look to the network to defend us against loneliness even as we use it to control the strength of our connections. I chose this topic because I am interested about how technology makes it easy to communicate when we wish and to disengage at will.
On social networks, people are reduced to their profiles. On our mobile devices, we often talk to each other on the move and with little disposable time—so little, in fact, that we communicate in a new language of abbreviation in which letters stand for words and emoticons for feelings.
In conclusion, we don’t ask the open ended “How are you?” anymore says Turkle,
Instead, we ask more narrow questions such as “Where are you?” and “What’s up?”
These questions are good for getting someone’s location and making a simple
plan but they are not good for opening a discussion about intricacy of feeling.
In the words of Sherry, “We are increasingly connected to each other but strangely
more alone: in intimacy, new solitudes.” Personally, technology is not a bad thing, we just need some time to understand ourselves how to us it in moderation and start building quality human connection, I agree with Sherry when she says,” Digital technology is still in its infancy and there is ample time for us to reshape how we build it and use it.”
Although we are lonely, we are also scared of closeness. Digital connections and sociable robots may give the effect of companionship without the demands of friendship. Sherry explains, “Our networked life allows us to hide from each other, even as we are tied to each other. We’d rather text than talk.”
With text messaging, Face book posts, and Twitter page posts; we can keep things short and sweet. (Is this quality conversation?) If these short sweet conversations are what technology is all about, consequently we will reduce our expectations of each other. Online connections were first invented as a substitute for face-to-face interaction, which later became an impractical reason: Don’t have time to make a phone call? Shoot off a text message. On the account of convenience, the text message rapidly became the connection of choice. We discovered the network the world of connectivity to be uniquely suited to the overworked and overscheduled life it makes possible. Frequently, we look to the network to defend us against loneliness even as we use it to control the strength of our connections. I chose this topic because I am interested about how technology makes it easy to communicate when we wish and to disengage at will.
On social networks, people are reduced to their profiles. On our mobile devices, we often talk to each other on the move and with little disposable time—so little, in fact, that we communicate in a new language of abbreviation in which letters stand for words and emoticons for feelings.
In conclusion, we don’t ask the open ended “How are you?” anymore says Turkle,
Instead, we ask more narrow questions such as “Where are you?” and “What’s up?”
These questions are good for getting someone’s location and making a simple
plan but they are not good for opening a discussion about intricacy of feeling.
In the words of Sherry, “We are increasingly connected to each other but strangely
more alone: in intimacy, new solitudes.” Personally, technology is not a bad thing, we just need some time to understand ourselves how to us it in moderation and start building quality human connection, I agree with Sherry when she says,” Digital technology is still in its infancy and there is ample time for us to reshape how we build it and use it.”