Do you believe technology is a tool or a distraction? Sherry Turkle, a doctorate in sociology and personality psychology from Harvard, believes it’s a distraction and it’s not helping us grow as individuals ,and become different from one another. Turkle shares her experience with being in a classroom with younger children and how they have gotten affected by technology. Emerson Giella ,a freshman at the University of New England shares her opinions about if it’s a tool or a distraction. Giella believes that it could be used as a tool sometimes but also as a distraction it depends on how you use it. Alicia Burr Also a freshman at the University of New England shared her thoughts on what technology has done to her and how technology has impacted on her life. She explains that we are definitely addicted to it but it has some pros to it so it could be a resource but a distraction too. Technology is an addictive distraction if we don’t use it properly.
Turkle shares a lot about how we don’t have patience now due to technology and when we get “bored” we don’t let ourselves think outside the box, we just go straight to our phones. Which I believe is very true because we have it right at our fingertips so we don’t need to think of anything else to do. Burr Also explained how we pay for quicker services because we don’t have that patience as a society anymore. “ Now we pay for “instant” tv. You watch only what you want, with no ads. I believe this is a great tool ,but is it making us watch tv more because it’s better. Is it now a distraction because we are watching tv and not thinking outside the box? Burr talked about how this is great and all but “ the technology of phones, disconnects and losing basic human skills”.
As a society, we spend many hours of our day on our screens. We use our devices for everything from productivity tools for work and school, navigation from place to place, entertainment, social media, communicating with one another, and often as an escape from the real world. We have come to find companionship and shelter in our devices and it has deeply impacted our ability to communicate with one another effectively and meaningfully. We use these tools that were initially brought to help us communicate with one another and drive connections more often as an excuse to be anti-social. We allow ourselves to spend hours scrolling through TikTok or playing games rather than being present with our loved ones. Our devices have become our most important tool and sadly it seems our very best friends.
Sherry Turkle, a Doctor of Social Studies of Science and Technology in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at MIT, and founder and current director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, argues that we have begun to lose the true human values that connect us due to our dependency on technology. Turkle argues “… computers offer the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship… real people demand responses to how they are feeling. And not just any response (Turkle 346).” We have truly come to find comfort and friendship in our devices, they offer us safety, security, and a place to turn to after a bad day. It is these false connections that may come to harm us. We are losing the ability to connect with each other on a deeper level because we have our devices to turn to when the going gets tough.
The generation of rising adults and the youngest behind it have grown up in a world of technology, we have always been able to find comfort and dependency on our devices. In a world where things are so uncertain it seems as though we can truly depend upon our devices to be there for us. Emerson Giella A student at the University of New England, well researched on the effects of technology on development and behavior states “…the use of my phone or computer sometimes correlates with the urge to disconnect and be in my own little world, away from the one in my brain. When I feel like I need a break from my life because I’m overwhelmed…” This is a common practice for many. As a product of our generation, we find comfort and relaxation in our devices, we allow ourselves to escape from reality by tuning in to a favorite show or song so that we can tune out of the stresses of everyday life. We have fostered a society that is very hard to live in and people feel as though they need an escape; when you have access to so much entertainment and information at your fingertips what better to turn to than your phone?
Technology is a controversial issue that everyone has their opinions on. Some argue that it’s beneficial to us, some argue it is negatively impacting us, and others think it’s a mix of both good and bad. Nicholas Carr, a reputable author who has written for The New York Times, touches on this topic in his essay, “Is Google Making Us Stupid.” He mentions how technology is taking away our ability to think. Similarly, Alicia Burr and Nolan Sibley, both students at The University of New England, write an essay on their complicated views of the positives and negatives of technology. Technology is very useful to us in many ways and keeps us connected. But on the other hand, it brings a lot of negatives that disconnect us. It changes the way we think.
Technology is changing our ability to think because our devices are doing it for us. Carr can see technology changing the way he thinks. He says, “I’m not thinking the way I used to think. I can feel it most strongly when I’m reading. Immersing myself in a book or a lengthy article used to be easy… Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do. I feel as if I’m always dragging my wayward brain back to the text. The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle” (Carr 1). He makes a really good point. With all this stimulation technology provides us, we can’t focus for long anymore. Our thinking is different. That deep thinking that comes with reading is gone. Similarly, Sibley believes we are becoming dependent on artificial intelligence. He says, “With the introduction of such advanced artificial intelligence, we are becoming more and more dependent. It seems as though for any problem or question that arises in life, a simple Google search can help you to solve it” (Sibley). We don’t have to critically think anymore when we have a problem or a question. We can just type it into google and we immediately get an answer.
Sherry Turkle’s essay “The Empathy Diaries.” Turkle writes that while communication technologies can be valuable in their own ways, they also restrict the development of real relationships and empathy. She refers to the way devices create a “controlled manner” of communicating that is not as rich or serendipitous as in-person communication. This view fits nicely with Carr’s argument in “Is Google Making us Stupid?” He has a message warning that technology can gradually diminish our brains and attention span and deepen the performance of presence with others or particulars in general. Emerson Giella makes a connection with her friends and family through technology, though she sees the downsides that can come from the digital dependence which is evident in Turkle’s reflections as well. “Technology distracting us is not real human connection,” says Giella, emphasizing Turkle’s point that the convenience of online communication can deprive us of the actual human interaction provided by face-to-face conversation. Giella is resolved in reflecting on her own connected and distant experience, but as Turkle indicates with her title of “alone together” people are isolated with each other yet connected a concept well-known to me as Giella’s simultaneous longing for connection and comfort that comes from isolation highlights the common acknowledgment in both of our experiences of technology’s ability to bridge an emotional distance or strengthen social ties while deepening one’s feeling of solitude. Cassie Sanger: This story resonates with Turkle’s worries about technology and empathy and face-to-face social skills. Sanger notes, “Our culture seems to be starting a choice of media over people,” noting the increase in digital interactions as opposed to physical ones. This point is deepened by Turkle who argues that we may be losing our ability to empathize through digital interactions because, “we are sacrificing conversation for connection.” As does Turkle, who argues that face time is the antidote to too much screen time; she fears we are losing a sense of how to have serious discussions with one another and loosened our ability for empathy. What connects this work Carr’s, Turkle’s, and the student stories of Giella and Sanger is a worry in common that technology has a serious impact on our social lives, but also may change our way of thinking. Carr and Turkle offer a theoretical model that explores how digital manipulatives affect the way we think and relate to others, while Giella and Sanger humanize these theories by connecting them to their lived experiences. In turn, both exemplified the double-edged sword of technology: while it amplifies our connection with distance, it distances us from an actual human potential in empathy, attention and comprehension. This reflection reflects what we both believe is a need for technology to also strike a balance between cognitive depth and emotional connection as we embrace the conveniences of the digital.
Digital technology is both the bane of our existence and our greatest savior. The question we are facing today is how can we adapt to be able to navigate the double-edged sword as it is so far integrated into our daily lives. The idea that the digital world is in a state of constant evolution is known by many, including writers Sam Anderson, Cassie Sanger, and Emily Scheff. These authors bring about valid arguments on the benefits and drawbacks of digital technology, many of which overlap with one another. Each of these authors addresses the fact that technology is always changing, that we need it to function as a modern society, but that it could become a problem if we don’t adapt. Scheff and Sanger both bring up the argument of the benefits of technology in the academic world, and how the world of education would not be anything close to what it is today without those modern tools. However, Scheff goes a step further and sparks a conversation about accommodations that people may need in order to receive the same education as someone who doesn’t need any extra support. On the other hand, Sanger addresses the effects of social media on human connections and conversation and how they do have their advantages in allowing us to connect with those who do not live near us, but how it also allows us to shy away from the world in a sense. Anderson, however, talks about the science behind how the brain works and is altered by our everyday interactions, specifically the ones related to how we use technology and how we may be distracted by it. These arguments are not specifically shared across the three authors, but they all go to make the same point. We need balance and we need to adapt to the ever-changing state of digital technology to achieve it.
Technology is a distraction, and we create those distractions. That is something to think about. We now live in a world with technology where it can do many things from writing something for you to giving you an answer to a question you asked within seconds. People in my generation often talk about how we have grown with technology, and yes that is true, but also not true. It depends what way you look at that statement. For some it means we have lived our whole lives with technology. Since we were little playing with a small phone, ipad, etc. We have always been around and have been connected to the internet. The other way you can interpret that statement is by thinking we have grown and became smarter with technology as it also began to grow. That is true on some levels, we have grown because of what technology can do for us. We also have used it in good ways which causes us to back track. Now the things we used to do with technology when we were little can be seen as a distraction now if we were to do the same things. It is very easy to become distracted when working. That is just the life we live in, with all the small things on the internet you can do on the internet it is very easy to sidetrack and do something else. It is as if there is a chain connecting us to something different from what you are currently doing trying to pull you away everytime you hear a “buzz” sound, for example you get a notification on your phone. Trying to overcome all of the distractions that come with being in a world where technology is everything is the hard part. It is almost as if we are constantly trapped.
A common theme I see among these technological narratives is the idea of technology in the past. You would think that we are so focused on the future of technology and where it will take us, but the narratives say otherwise. It seems as though fellow writers are still stuck in the past and how they were affected back then. These ideas differ from those of Carr and Turkle. These two authors grew up in a different generation. Things like cell phones and computers were less prevalent in older generations. It is a matter of perspective. They see technology as more of a plague towards younger generations and less towards older ones. Differently, the writers of the technological narratives view the problem within their own generation and within themselves. Carr and Turkle view the issue of technology and distraction as a storm that they had narrowly missed.
Technology is a hindrance to the very meaning of society. It causes a lack of connection with each other and in ourselves. Not only do we show signs through external actions or lack thereof, but we show signs through our intellect, projecting through speech and writing. As Nolan Sibley argues, “There is no escape from the suffocating graph technology holds on our lives. It seems as though we are in an ever-tightening straight jacket. The Internet, in all of its accessibility, has negatively impacted the way we think, our ability to learn, and how we entertain ourselves and the conversations that we have with one another” (Sibley). Sibley explains that technology has everybody in a grasp, whether they know it or not. It interferes with our mental abilities. It is a downward spiral of apathy and disconnect. Nicholas Carr has a similar argument over technology and how it affects us. He argues that the online web is creating “pancake people”. This means that societal connections are spread far and wider than ever, but its strength is diminishing with upcoming technology.
As humans we have entered an age where our phones have basically become an extension of our bodies. Always on us somewhere whether that’s our hand or a pocket. And it really makes you think, are we enhancing our lives with this surplus of tech, or creating lasting damage to our brains? The constantly changing and advancing digital technology we are exposed to has completely changed the ways we communicate with one another, and interact with the world. While it provides us with so much convenience, and constant connections that I think everyone including myself can be grateful for, there’s also concerns about our health, with long term effects on our attention spans, thinking skills, and the empathy we show others. Nicholas Carr, a Dartmouth and Harvard graduate writes about similar ideas in his essay “Is Google making us Stupid”. He touches on the ideas that the internet is reshaping our brains and making us think in more superficial ways, ultimately reducing our capability to think deeply and for long periods of time.
Conversations are vital to our existence as humans. It’s where we grow, learn empathy, connect, and express ourselves. It seems to me that our society is seeming to forget the positive aspects conversations bring us and are becoming accustomed to this surface level talking. An author that supports my claims, Sherry Turkle, with a doctorate in sociology and personality psychology, wrote the book “In Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age”. The intro to her book is called “The Empathy Diaries” where she writes about why she believes technology is an oncoming issue to how we empathize and connect, along with the effects on our reading, writing and thinking. In support of Turkle and I’s claims, Emerson Giella focuses on the importance of connection and the writer Nolan Sibley ties all of our ideas together into one essay. He writes about the importance of conversations and how social media is causing a disconnection in people.
Conversations are what make connections, empathy, and deeper thinking. We grow as people when we push ourselves to try new things, have conversations we don’t want to have and give ourselves time to reflect. With the constant and chaotic flow of media it can be hard for us to stop, take a breath and realize we are so wrapped up in a digital world that honestly doesn’t do much good for us. The internet is full of misinformation, lies, drama and just useless information. Yes, it has its positive to it but as far as how it’s affecting humans it’s negative in most ways. Turkle agrees, “This new mediated life has gotten us into trouble. Face-to-face conversation is the most human—and humanizing – thing we do. Fully present to one another, we learn to listen. It’s where we experience the joy of being heard, of being understood. And conversation advances self-reflection, the conversations with ourselves that are the cornerstone of early development and continue throughout life” (Turkle 334). These fundamental skills that conversations bring us are being destructed by the internet. We aren’t realizing the rapid pace of negative impacts technology is and will bring to us. Nolan states one of our problems is that “it is this unconscious reliance of technology that has truly impacted the way we communicate with one another” (Sibley para 2).
Health nuts are often seen suggesting “non-toxic foods” on instagram or promoting the next new diet that will “make you feel and look better than ever” in a magazine you see in the grocery store. They try to lead lives cleansed of the toxins they think are in foods or their bodies. But often, it isn’t as healthy as they think it is. You need a varied diet in order to live the healthiest life possible-you can’t completely cut out an entire food group (without sufficient replacements) and still expect to be healthy. In addition, this life is very restrictive; are they happy being constantly consumed with thoughts of their health? Sometimes, you need to just let go and enjoy the moment without thinking of the possible consequences. Technology is similar. A life completely devoid of it, in this day and age, could severely hinder your career and ability to connect to others. But, too much of it can have the same effects. Sherry Turkle, a MIT professor and sociologist, argues in her work , The Empathy Diaries, that the balance is leaning way to the side, and technology is causing more negative effects than it is producing. Emmerson Giella and Alicia Burr, who are both writers of the same topic, write about technology’s effects on their lives. They argue both ways, saying that there are both benefits and drawbacks to technology use…There is a point where the perfect balance of technology in one’s life equates to a balanced diet; you have just enough of the “healthy” stuff to balance out the “bad” stuff, and you are therefore able to live a fulfilling and healthy life.
Connection is one of the more debatable topics when it comes to technology. Some argue it is stealing our ability to connect with others, while others argue it actually increases this ability. Sherry Turkle,
All people seem to have different views on technology, some think it’s helpful, some think it’s ruining our brains and others have mixed feelings about it. For myself, I have mixed feelings about technology but lean more towards the fact that it’s ruining our brains and taking over basic human functions. Nicholas Carr in “Is Google Making Us Stupid”, believes that it is affecting our brains in a negative way. Possing the question is technology affecting our ability to concentrate on long pieces that don’t interest us. The complicated feeling on technology seems to resonate with writer Emerson Giella, as she also believes there is good and bad to technology. On the other hand, in Lilyan Blood’s piece she says she has never liked technology, believing that it has made her life harder.
I believe technology has affected our brains, along with how we think. In Carr’s words, The Net is “chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation. My mind now expects to take in information the way the Net distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of particles.” While I believe our brains have now been wired to enjoy and take in quick snippets of information, Blood makes the point that “there are so many events and stuff on the web but half the time you don’t even know what is true vs false.” Although our brains like taking in information quickly, the information we get isn’t always very accurate. We want the quick facts and to move on. Which is how the internet now operates, especially social media, but most people don’t stop to think if it is true or not.
Technology is something so controversial that even in our own minds there’s a constant battle of “is this good for me?”, “I love using this!”, “am I in too deep?”, “what would I do without it?” Being aware of that battle is the start of further understanding of our own views on the technology that encompasses our lives. Nicholas Carr is an American journalist with his articles published in many reviews, The Atlantic being one of those. His article Is Google Making Us Stupid? showcases his concern about the internet destroying people’s ability to function, learn, and adapt in the same manner they used to. If the mind is in a continuous war about whether these devices, applications, websites, etc. should be used, maybe it would be beneficial to take some time away from these things and think about it without technology being around to cloud that judgement.
“While I love not having to wait, I think patience is something we could all benefit from learning. The technology of phones, computers, and more were supposed to help and connect us, but we are more disconnect[ed] and losing basic human skills” (Burr).
12 thoughts on “JOURNAL # 23”
Do you believe technology is a tool or a distraction? Sherry Turkle, a doctorate in sociology and personality psychology from Harvard, believes it’s a distraction and it’s not helping us grow as individuals ,and become different from one another. Turkle shares her experience with being in a classroom with younger children and how they have gotten affected by technology. Emerson Giella ,a freshman at the University of New England shares her opinions about if it’s a tool or a distraction. Giella believes that it could be used as a tool sometimes but also as a distraction it depends on how you use it. Alicia Burr Also a freshman at the University of New England shared her thoughts on what technology has done to her and how technology has impacted on her life. She explains that we are definitely addicted to it but it has some pros to it so it could be a resource but a distraction too. Technology is an addictive distraction if we don’t use it properly.
Turkle shares a lot about how we don’t have patience now due to technology and when we get “bored” we don’t let ourselves think outside the box, we just go straight to our phones. Which I believe is very true because we have it right at our fingertips so we don’t need to think of anything else to do. Burr Also explained how we pay for quicker services because we don’t have that patience as a society anymore. “ Now we pay for “instant” tv. You watch only what you want, with no ads. I believe this is a great tool ,but is it making us watch tv more because it’s better. Is it now a distraction because we are watching tv and not thinking outside the box? Burr talked about how this is great and all but “ the technology of phones, disconnects and losing basic human skills”.
As a society, we spend many hours of our day on our screens. We use our devices for everything from productivity tools for work and school, navigation from place to place, entertainment, social media, communicating with one another, and often as an escape from the real world. We have come to find companionship and shelter in our devices and it has deeply impacted our ability to communicate with one another effectively and meaningfully. We use these tools that were initially brought to help us communicate with one another and drive connections more often as an excuse to be anti-social. We allow ourselves to spend hours scrolling through TikTok or playing games rather than being present with our loved ones. Our devices have become our most important tool and sadly it seems our very best friends.
Sherry Turkle, a Doctor of Social Studies of Science and Technology in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at MIT, and founder and current director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, argues that we have begun to lose the true human values that connect us due to our dependency on technology. Turkle argues “… computers offer the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship… real people demand responses to how they are feeling. And not just any response (Turkle 346).” We have truly come to find comfort and friendship in our devices, they offer us safety, security, and a place to turn to after a bad day. It is these false connections that may come to harm us. We are losing the ability to connect with each other on a deeper level because we have our devices to turn to when the going gets tough.
The generation of rising adults and the youngest behind it have grown up in a world of technology, we have always been able to find comfort and dependency on our devices. In a world where things are so uncertain it seems as though we can truly depend upon our devices to be there for us. Emerson Giella A student at the University of New England, well researched on the effects of technology on development and behavior states “…the use of my phone or computer sometimes correlates with the urge to disconnect and be in my own little world, away from the one in my brain. When I feel like I need a break from my life because I’m overwhelmed…” This is a common practice for many. As a product of our generation, we find comfort and relaxation in our devices, we allow ourselves to escape from reality by tuning in to a favorite show or song so that we can tune out of the stresses of everyday life. We have fostered a society that is very hard to live in and people feel as though they need an escape; when you have access to so much entertainment and information at your fingertips what better to turn to than your phone?
Technology is a controversial issue that everyone has their opinions on. Some argue that it’s beneficial to us, some argue it is negatively impacting us, and others think it’s a mix of both good and bad. Nicholas Carr, a reputable author who has written for The New York Times, touches on this topic in his essay, “Is Google Making Us Stupid.” He mentions how technology is taking away our ability to think. Similarly, Alicia Burr and Nolan Sibley, both students at The University of New England, write an essay on their complicated views of the positives and negatives of technology. Technology is very useful to us in many ways and keeps us connected. But on the other hand, it brings a lot of negatives that disconnect us. It changes the way we think.
Technology is changing our ability to think because our devices are doing it for us. Carr can see technology changing the way he thinks. He says, “I’m not thinking the way I used to think. I can feel it most strongly when I’m reading. Immersing myself in a book or a lengthy article used to be easy… Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do. I feel as if I’m always dragging my wayward brain back to the text. The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle” (Carr 1). He makes a really good point. With all this stimulation technology provides us, we can’t focus for long anymore. Our thinking is different. That deep thinking that comes with reading is gone. Similarly, Sibley believes we are becoming dependent on artificial intelligence. He says, “With the introduction of such advanced artificial intelligence, we are becoming more and more dependent. It seems as though for any problem or question that arises in life, a simple Google search can help you to solve it” (Sibley). We don’t have to critically think anymore when we have a problem or a question. We can just type it into google and we immediately get an answer.
Sherry Turkle’s essay “The Empathy Diaries.” Turkle writes that while communication technologies can be valuable in their own ways, they also restrict the development of real relationships and empathy. She refers to the way devices create a “controlled manner” of communicating that is not as rich or serendipitous as in-person communication. This view fits nicely with Carr’s argument in “Is Google Making us Stupid?” He has a message warning that technology can gradually diminish our brains and attention span and deepen the performance of presence with others or particulars in general. Emerson Giella makes a connection with her friends and family through technology, though she sees the downsides that can come from the digital dependence which is evident in Turkle’s reflections as well. “Technology distracting us is not real human connection,” says Giella, emphasizing Turkle’s point that the convenience of online communication can deprive us of the actual human interaction provided by face-to-face conversation. Giella is resolved in reflecting on her own connected and distant experience, but as Turkle indicates with her title of “alone together” people are isolated with each other yet connected a concept well-known to me as Giella’s simultaneous longing for connection and comfort that comes from isolation highlights the common acknowledgment in both of our experiences of technology’s ability to bridge an emotional distance or strengthen social ties while deepening one’s feeling of solitude. Cassie Sanger: This story resonates with Turkle’s worries about technology and empathy and face-to-face social skills. Sanger notes, “Our culture seems to be starting a choice of media over people,” noting the increase in digital interactions as opposed to physical ones. This point is deepened by Turkle who argues that we may be losing our ability to empathize through digital interactions because, “we are sacrificing conversation for connection.” As does Turkle, who argues that face time is the antidote to too much screen time; she fears we are losing a sense of how to have serious discussions with one another and loosened our ability for empathy. What connects this work Carr’s, Turkle’s, and the student stories of Giella and Sanger is a worry in common that technology has a serious impact on our social lives, but also may change our way of thinking. Carr and Turkle offer a theoretical model that explores how digital manipulatives affect the way we think and relate to others, while Giella and Sanger humanize these theories by connecting them to their lived experiences. In turn, both exemplified the double-edged sword of technology: while it amplifies our connection with distance, it distances us from an actual human potential in empathy, attention and comprehension. This reflection reflects what we both believe is a need for technology to also strike a balance between cognitive depth and emotional connection as we embrace the conveniences of the digital.
Digital technology is both the bane of our existence and our greatest savior. The question we are facing today is how can we adapt to be able to navigate the double-edged sword as it is so far integrated into our daily lives. The idea that the digital world is in a state of constant evolution is known by many, including writers Sam Anderson, Cassie Sanger, and Emily Scheff. These authors bring about valid arguments on the benefits and drawbacks of digital technology, many of which overlap with one another. Each of these authors addresses the fact that technology is always changing, that we need it to function as a modern society, but that it could become a problem if we don’t adapt. Scheff and Sanger both bring up the argument of the benefits of technology in the academic world, and how the world of education would not be anything close to what it is today without those modern tools. However, Scheff goes a step further and sparks a conversation about accommodations that people may need in order to receive the same education as someone who doesn’t need any extra support. On the other hand, Sanger addresses the effects of social media on human connections and conversation and how they do have their advantages in allowing us to connect with those who do not live near us, but how it also allows us to shy away from the world in a sense. Anderson, however, talks about the science behind how the brain works and is altered by our everyday interactions, specifically the ones related to how we use technology and how we may be distracted by it. These arguments are not specifically shared across the three authors, but they all go to make the same point. We need balance and we need to adapt to the ever-changing state of digital technology to achieve it.
Technology is a distraction, and we create those distractions. That is something to think about. We now live in a world with technology where it can do many things from writing something for you to giving you an answer to a question you asked within seconds. People in my generation often talk about how we have grown with technology, and yes that is true, but also not true. It depends what way you look at that statement. For some it means we have lived our whole lives with technology. Since we were little playing with a small phone, ipad, etc. We have always been around and have been connected to the internet. The other way you can interpret that statement is by thinking we have grown and became smarter with technology as it also began to grow. That is true on some levels, we have grown because of what technology can do for us. We also have used it in good ways which causes us to back track. Now the things we used to do with technology when we were little can be seen as a distraction now if we were to do the same things. It is very easy to become distracted when working. That is just the life we live in, with all the small things on the internet you can do on the internet it is very easy to sidetrack and do something else. It is as if there is a chain connecting us to something different from what you are currently doing trying to pull you away everytime you hear a “buzz” sound, for example you get a notification on your phone. Trying to overcome all of the distractions that come with being in a world where technology is everything is the hard part. It is almost as if we are constantly trapped.
A common theme I see among these technological narratives is the idea of technology in the past. You would think that we are so focused on the future of technology and where it will take us, but the narratives say otherwise. It seems as though fellow writers are still stuck in the past and how they were affected back then. These ideas differ from those of Carr and Turkle. These two authors grew up in a different generation. Things like cell phones and computers were less prevalent in older generations. It is a matter of perspective. They see technology as more of a plague towards younger generations and less towards older ones. Differently, the writers of the technological narratives view the problem within their own generation and within themselves. Carr and Turkle view the issue of technology and distraction as a storm that they had narrowly missed.
Technology is a hindrance to the very meaning of society. It causes a lack of connection with each other and in ourselves. Not only do we show signs through external actions or lack thereof, but we show signs through our intellect, projecting through speech and writing. As Nolan Sibley argues, “There is no escape from the suffocating graph technology holds on our lives. It seems as though we are in an ever-tightening straight jacket. The Internet, in all of its accessibility, has negatively impacted the way we think, our ability to learn, and how we entertain ourselves and the conversations that we have with one another” (Sibley). Sibley explains that technology has everybody in a grasp, whether they know it or not. It interferes with our mental abilities. It is a downward spiral of apathy and disconnect. Nicholas Carr has a similar argument over technology and how it affects us. He argues that the online web is creating “pancake people”. This means that societal connections are spread far and wider than ever, but its strength is diminishing with upcoming technology.
As humans we have entered an age where our phones have basically become an extension of our bodies. Always on us somewhere whether that’s our hand or a pocket. And it really makes you think, are we enhancing our lives with this surplus of tech, or creating lasting damage to our brains? The constantly changing and advancing digital technology we are exposed to has completely changed the ways we communicate with one another, and interact with the world. While it provides us with so much convenience, and constant connections that I think everyone including myself can be grateful for, there’s also concerns about our health, with long term effects on our attention spans, thinking skills, and the empathy we show others. Nicholas Carr, a Dartmouth and Harvard graduate writes about similar ideas in his essay “Is Google making us Stupid”. He touches on the ideas that the internet is reshaping our brains and making us think in more superficial ways, ultimately reducing our capability to think deeply and for long periods of time.
Conversations are vital to our existence as humans. It’s where we grow, learn empathy, connect, and express ourselves. It seems to me that our society is seeming to forget the positive aspects conversations bring us and are becoming accustomed to this surface level talking. An author that supports my claims, Sherry Turkle, with a doctorate in sociology and personality psychology, wrote the book “In Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age”. The intro to her book is called “The Empathy Diaries” where she writes about why she believes technology is an oncoming issue to how we empathize and connect, along with the effects on our reading, writing and thinking. In support of Turkle and I’s claims, Emerson Giella focuses on the importance of connection and the writer Nolan Sibley ties all of our ideas together into one essay. He writes about the importance of conversations and how social media is causing a disconnection in people.
Conversations are what make connections, empathy, and deeper thinking. We grow as people when we push ourselves to try new things, have conversations we don’t want to have and give ourselves time to reflect. With the constant and chaotic flow of media it can be hard for us to stop, take a breath and realize we are so wrapped up in a digital world that honestly doesn’t do much good for us. The internet is full of misinformation, lies, drama and just useless information. Yes, it has its positive to it but as far as how it’s affecting humans it’s negative in most ways. Turkle agrees, “This new mediated life has gotten us into trouble. Face-to-face conversation is the most human—and humanizing – thing we do. Fully present to one another, we learn to listen. It’s where we experience the joy of being heard, of being understood. And conversation advances self-reflection, the conversations with ourselves that are the cornerstone of early development and continue throughout life” (Turkle 334). These fundamental skills that conversations bring us are being destructed by the internet. We aren’t realizing the rapid pace of negative impacts technology is and will bring to us. Nolan states one of our problems is that “it is this unconscious reliance of technology that has truly impacted the way we communicate with one another” (Sibley para 2).
Health nuts are often seen suggesting “non-toxic foods” on instagram or promoting the next new diet that will “make you feel and look better than ever” in a magazine you see in the grocery store. They try to lead lives cleansed of the toxins they think are in foods or their bodies. But often, it isn’t as healthy as they think it is. You need a varied diet in order to live the healthiest life possible-you can’t completely cut out an entire food group (without sufficient replacements) and still expect to be healthy. In addition, this life is very restrictive; are they happy being constantly consumed with thoughts of their health? Sometimes, you need to just let go and enjoy the moment without thinking of the possible consequences. Technology is similar. A life completely devoid of it, in this day and age, could severely hinder your career and ability to connect to others. But, too much of it can have the same effects. Sherry Turkle, a MIT professor and sociologist, argues in her work , The Empathy Diaries, that the balance is leaning way to the side, and technology is causing more negative effects than it is producing. Emmerson Giella and Alicia Burr, who are both writers of the same topic, write about technology’s effects on their lives. They argue both ways, saying that there are both benefits and drawbacks to technology use…There is a point where the perfect balance of technology in one’s life equates to a balanced diet; you have just enough of the “healthy” stuff to balance out the “bad” stuff, and you are therefore able to live a fulfilling and healthy life.
Connection is one of the more debatable topics when it comes to technology. Some argue it is stealing our ability to connect with others, while others argue it actually increases this ability. Sherry Turkle,
All people seem to have different views on technology, some think it’s helpful, some think it’s ruining our brains and others have mixed feelings about it. For myself, I have mixed feelings about technology but lean more towards the fact that it’s ruining our brains and taking over basic human functions. Nicholas Carr in “Is Google Making Us Stupid”, believes that it is affecting our brains in a negative way. Possing the question is technology affecting our ability to concentrate on long pieces that don’t interest us. The complicated feeling on technology seems to resonate with writer Emerson Giella, as she also believes there is good and bad to technology. On the other hand, in Lilyan Blood’s piece she says she has never liked technology, believing that it has made her life harder.
I believe technology has affected our brains, along with how we think. In Carr’s words, The Net is “chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation. My mind now expects to take in information the way the Net distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of particles.” While I believe our brains have now been wired to enjoy and take in quick snippets of information, Blood makes the point that “there are so many events and stuff on the web but half the time you don’t even know what is true vs false.” Although our brains like taking in information quickly, the information we get isn’t always very accurate. We want the quick facts and to move on. Which is how the internet now operates, especially social media, but most people don’t stop to think if it is true or not.
Technology is something so controversial that even in our own minds there’s a constant battle of “is this good for me?”, “I love using this!”, “am I in too deep?”, “what would I do without it?” Being aware of that battle is the start of further understanding of our own views on the technology that encompasses our lives. Nicholas Carr is an American journalist with his articles published in many reviews, The Atlantic being one of those. His article Is Google Making Us Stupid? showcases his concern about the internet destroying people’s ability to function, learn, and adapt in the same manner they used to. If the mind is in a continuous war about whether these devices, applications, websites, etc. should be used, maybe it would be beneficial to take some time away from these things and think about it without technology being around to cloud that judgement.
“While I love not having to wait, I think patience is something we could all benefit from learning. The technology of phones, computers, and more were supposed to help and connect us, but we are more disconnect[ed] and losing basic human skills” (Burr).