In Alone Together Sherry Turkle says, "Technology is seductive when what it offers meets our human vulnerabilities." One of the things Turkle is saying is that we are vulnerable because we do need connection and intimacy yet we see this need as somehow an inconvenience. For example Turkle writes, "I believe that in our culture of simulation, the notion of authenticity is for us what sex was for the Victorian -- threat and obsession, taboo and fascination" (p.4).
In your own words, express what you think Turkle means by the above statement. Illustrate this understanding with examples from your own experience. Do you see a connection with the service-learning portion of this class?
What examples throughout the chapter does Turkle offer to further expand these ideas? Cite at least three: one from "Robotic Moment," one from "Connectivity and its Discontents" and "Romancing the Machine."
Please be sure to give your post or comment a real title (not Reflection #2) as this adds shape and focus to your writing.
Simulation in the Today's World
ReplyDeleteIn Alone Together by Sherry Turkle, she writes "I believe that in our culture of simulation, the notion of authenticity is for us what sex was for the Victorian -- threat and obsession, taboo and fascination" (p.4). I found this quote to be very interesting. I took it to be that in our world today there is much simulation via technology that is being 'created' similar to the idea of humans were created. With this different type of simulation, seeming real, but not actually alive there is fascination beginning to rise towards real life. There is a desire to know more about what this machine can perform and how similar it functions compared to that of its alive partner. With the realistic nature of simulations, authenticity's value is raised. When technology is so high functioning and realistic, it lets us value the authenticity of real life as well as think of life as taboo. It can sometimes be mystical to view a live turtle in Darwin's exhibit, mystical in a positive and mystical in a negative way at the same time. Almost as if real life does not exist anymore because there is so much simulation which pretends to be real.
With technology, there is also a threat to authenticity because technology has come a long way, to the point where it appears realistic. In this sense, the idea of authenticity of life can be threatened by simulation. Just as in The "Robotic Moment" in the Darwin Museum when the little girl stated "for what turtles do, you didn't have to have the live ones" (pg. 4). This is the perfect example of how technology, which can appear as the real thing, threatens the authenticity of life. The little girl did not really care if the turtle was alive or not, she did not value the idea of a real turtle in front of her.
In the "Connectivity and its Discontents" this idea of authenticity being a fascination comes into play. When Randy is discussing how he did not receive a phone call he states "When i told her i was upset, she said she understood but laughed and said her fiance just wanted to do things simply as simply as possible. I felt so far away from her" (pg. 16). Randy wanted contact with his sister so badly, to hear the exciting new of an engagement from her mouth. He did not want to read it on a screen that was ultimately a machine letting him know his sister was engaged. I took this as Randy's fascination of desire to experience the authenticity of speaking to another human who was alive as much as he was. To experience the connection we share as humans, but instead he was 'connected' to a machine that fed him the special news of his sister.
In "Romancing the Machine" the idea of being alive is challenged by robots. As children play with robots they can "but even the most primitive of these objects - Tamagotchis and furbies- made children's evaluation of aliveness less about cognition than about the object's seeming potential for mutual affection" (pg. 18). This creates a type of taboo about aliveness. I would see something as alove if it carried the characteristics of a human or animal, one characteristic being cognition. However, these robots and children mixing together created children to decide if something was alive or not based on its 'potential' for affection. These robots give 'affection' by saying phrases that were preprogrammed into them, but it is not real affection that something alive gives. It is the affection of programming and technology. This creates a taboo regarding the authenticity of life, is it cognition or potential mutual affection which brings something to life?
Robotic Reality
ReplyDeleteTurkle, the author of “Alone Together”, states that “Technology is seductive when what it offers meets our human vulnerabilities”. This statement can be interpreted to mean that humans are vulnerable and have a need for intimacy, but at the same time, humans feel that intimacy is an inconvenience, mainly due to technology. In addition, Turkle also states, “I believe that in our culture of simulation, the notion of authenticity is for us what sex was for the Victorian –threat and obsession, taboo, and fascination” (p. 4). This statement can be interpreted to mean that reality can be seen as threatening to our society. Reality, and intimacy, as well, can be threatening because of how people have become so used to being in their comfort zones, behind a computer screen. At the same time, we need intimacy. That is why it can become an obsession and fascination. We all want to be intimate and be a part of reality, but with new technology it has become increasingly easier to stay by ourselves, alone with technology.
I have only done one hour of service learning so far this semester, but I have already seen how it directly illustrates the above concept. At first, I didn’t really want to do service learning because I would have to find time for it in my busy schedule, but it definitely helps me to learn and understand the true meaning of this class. From my time at Bahia Vista, I could see how meaningful relationships are. Yes, I did not want to go and not use my phone or computer, but it was so much fun to be with the kids and do something so “real”. I would rather be getting things done and talking fast to my friends via texting or Facebook, so this did seem like it was going to be an inconvenience for me, but it really was not.
In “The Robotic Moment”, Turkle writes about how she took her then fourteen year old daughter to a museum. At the museum, they saw two giant tortoises from the Galapagos Islands. Her daughter looked at one of the tortoises for a little bit and then said, “They could have used a robot” (p. 3). This statement by her daughter really struck Turkle. Her daughter did not even care that it was a real tortoise all the way from the Galapagos Islands. She asked her daughter why and her daughter replied, “For what the turtles do, you didn’t have to have the live ones” (p. 4). Turkle’s daughter wasn’t the only child to think this way. In fact, many children think similarly and would sometimes rather have robots on exhibit than the real thing. Some children say because robots act more lifelike than some animals.
In “Connectivity and its Discontents”, there is an example of a thirteen year old girl that says she “hates the phone and never listens to voicemail”. I can definitely relate to this, even though she is only thirteen years old. Texting allows you to keep people at distance, but also can be in touch with people very quickly whenever you need to be. I hate checking my voicemail and talking on the phone. Sometimes it’s so much easier just to text, especially with everyone’s busy schedules. I would much rather text than play phone tag and listen to a bunch of voicemails constantly.
In “Romancing the Machine”, Turkle talks about the benefits of technology and also the negatives of it. She states that, “relationships with robots are ramping up, relationships with people are ramping down” (p. 19). This may be true. Although I don’t really think that relationships with robots are a huge problem, at least not yet. I think there are a lot of people trying to build relationships with people online, but not with robots. Because of the advancements that are being made in technology, it is getting more difficult to tell the differences between robots and reality, which is kind of scary. This could be adding to the “ramping up” of robot relationships, but I think the intention of most people is to build relationships with other people through technology.
Robots + Humans= Love?
ReplyDeleteWhen Turkle states "I believe that in our culture of simulation, the notion of authenticity is for us what sex was for the Victorian -- threat and obsession, taboo and fascination" (p.4). I believe she is saying that technology is a threat and an obsession. This reminds me of how sometimes you love something more and you find it more appealing because you know its bad for you, or because people are saying it is bad for you it makes you want it more. I think Alone Together really made me think more about my time with Service Learning because of the connections I will be making with the kids I help. Helping kids and actually being with them and interacting with them is something you couldn't really do with a robot.
In "Robotic Moment" when she goes to the museum with her daughter and they see the tortoises and her daughter says that "she didn't see why they needed to be real". This really struck with me because I just found it fascinating that the kids really didn't care whether or not the animals were real or not. One boy said that they should not have gone to all of the trouble of getting these animals from the wild when they could have just used robots. I couldn't imagine because I think thats what I looked forward to when I was little about zoos, that there were real animals.
In the "Connectivity and its Discounts" section I found that I could really relate to Ellen and her story. I use skype from time to time to connect with my relatives and loved ones. I think skype is one of the better things that has come with technology because we are able to connect with people from faraway. "Ellen's multitasking removed her to another place. She felt her grandmother was not really there" (page 14). Like Ellen I notice myself sometimes multitasking while I am skyping someone. When I look back on it I feel bad because the time I spend with my family and friends it should be 100%.
In "Romancing the Machine" Turkle talks about the different types of robots and their uses. She talks about the pros and cones of robots as well. "It is one thing to design a robot for an instrumental purpose: to search for explosives in a war zone or, in a more homely register, to vacuum floors or wash dishes. But the robots in this book are designed to be with us" (page 19). I totally agree with Turkle because I really believe robots can be used for good as well.
Technological Connection with the World
ReplyDeleteTechnology offers us an escape from our weaknesses. Our vulnerabilities being the fear of getting rejected by someone you thought you had a connection with. If someone doesn’t have the time for meeting new people, you can find sites that will allow you to meet people from the comfort of your house. All you need to do is make an online profile about yourself and let them come to you and vice versa. Sometimes it is easier to have a connection with someone you know through any social network. But it looses authenticity and it looses the value of having a real connection. It is similar to having an artificial insemination, it doesn’t happen naturally and it is forced to be that way. We are making connections in a not so natural way. We are letting technology make those connections for us, while we sit back and enjoy ourselves.
Robotic Connection
Levy tells us that robots will teach us how to be better friends and lovers because we will practice it on them… No cheating. No heartbreaks. (pg5)
I found this quote very shocking because we’ve gotten to the point where we rather have a robot as our friend/lover. We are getting paranoid about human interaction. But most importantly, we are afraid of getting rejected. We are getting afraid of dealing with difficult life situations or in this case dealing with difficult people. We are afraid of being lonely and not finding the “perfect match.” So instead, we make one. We make a robot that will not hurt of, will accept all of our imperfections, bad habits and someone who will always be there for us. Instead of finding a solution on who can we change ourselves to adapt to others, we are taking the easy route to make some robot that will understand us.
Connectivity and Disconnects
Ellen and her grandmother where more connected than they have ever been before, but at the same time, each was alone. (pg 14)
When Ellen was talking to her grandmother through Skype, she agreed that she was multi-tasking and not paying attention to her grandmother. She was checking her emails while at the same time “talking” to her grandmother. Skype offers a great service because you can talk with someone for free and see him or her at the same time. Having a face-to-face phone call makes it more intimate and gives you the feeling that you are closer to that person even if you are 5,000 miles away. I found this quote every interesting because I’ve used Skype before. I’ve used when I was living in Chile and talked to my family members and friends. Sometimes I’d feel that some of my friends were doing some multi-tasking of their own. I could hear them typing and looking at a different direction. I found myself connect and yet alone. I didn’t feel that I was having the full-on connection with them. It felt impersonal and cold.
We feel that we are more connected with everyone around us, when in fact is not the case. We feel that by texting each other, we are connecting with one another, yet we are not having a face-to-face conversation. Instead, we are having a conversation through a mechanical device.
Romancing and the Machine
“Relationships with robots are ramping up; relationships with people are ramping down.” (pg19)
In our current world, we are experiencing more connections online than in the real world. Our relationships with online social networking exceed those that we have in real life. Our obsession with cell phones has increased and now one can’t go without them. We find ourselves socially awkward, and rather text someone with our busy lifestyles.
In Alone Together many good points about technology and its implications for the future were brought up. "Technology is seductive when what it offers meets our human vulnerabilities." One of the things Turkle is saying is that we are vulnerable because we do need connection and intimacy yet we see this need as somehow an inconvenience. For example Turkle writes, "I believe that in our culture of simulation, the notion of authenticity is for us what sex was for the Victorian -- threat and obsession, taboo and fascination" (p.4). This idea brought up by Turkle,about authenticity its importance. It really brought up the question is real better? We see intimacy as a chore, and an inconvenience and the technology we use recognizes this. For example, with Facebook we can have a large number of friends, but does it really mean we are friends? No, we do not have to perform the normal duties as a friend would all we have to do is go to that friends page scroll around, post a comment to their wall and that is that, we have done our friendly duties. As opposed to actually calling a friend up, and going out, or helping them with something going to their Facebook page is still maintaining a friendship. Having a real relationship with someone that does not use technology, is what would require a deep intimacy, and as long as social networks are in the equation, true intimacy is not.
ReplyDeleteThe Robotic Movement: One quote in the Robotic movement that illustrated her point was "aliveness seemed to have no intrinsic value. Rather, it is useful only if needed for a specific purpose." These days unless something has to be authentic and real, why bother. Instead of going to a friend house, we can just Skype them instead, instead of calling, we text. The point that Turkle was making is that something being real is the absolute last choice. In the future, our relationships may be with artificial life, because it would be more convenient for us. We will soon rely on robots for more than just entertainment and practical purposes, but we will rely on them for emotional support. However, with this possibility will human interaction even be needed anymore? It might not, because we will have robots to fill this void.
Connectivity and its Disconnects: With the majority of the United States plugged in or online, we are always connected with each other, but are we really? No, there are still many disconnects. "Young people are the first to grow up not necessarily thinking that simulation is second best." Today being connected is a given, but because of this young people face a certain set of social anxieties that other generations have not experienced. For example, having to nuture relationships on social networking sites. "Technology reshapes the landscape of our emotional lives, but is it offering us the lives we want to lead?"
Romancing the Machine: The idea of being real is challenged by robots, it is also becoming second best. Using robots now seems the more economical way of doing things, while using the real thing is too much work. Robots are seen as creatures and because of this they receive a lot of affection from humans. If this continues, nurturing our robots will be just as important as nurturing our relationships.
Alone Together with Technology
ReplyDeleteTurkle proclaims, “Technology is seductive when what it offers meets our human vulnerabilities…I believe that in our culture of simulation, the notion of authenticity is for us what sex was for the Victorian – threat and obsession, taboo and fasination.” In other words, the developments in technologies have benefitted society while also acting as society’s detriment. In my own experience with the aforementioned statement, I find myself indebted to and hating Skype. Skype has been a great tool for me to use to keep in touch with my boyfriend on a daily basis. Being in a long distance relationship, so anytime I get with him, even if it’s virtual, is worth it to me. However, when we Skype eachother, I notice that we don’t actually have real quality conversations for the most part (similar to the Skype story Turkle describes). Rather, we end up multitasking (homework, emails, Facebook, etc.) while the other is conveniently there. Nowadays, I find that we justify spending quality time with eachother through the use of Skype, despite us multitasking throughout the duration of a Skype call.
In connection with the service-learning portion of this class, I see the benefit of my presence at Bahia Vista’s After School Program. The After School Program could have easily had the kids play with computers or allow them to play with their hand held gaming devices to occupy their time. Instead, these kids engage in physical activity and attend healthy cooking/eating classes. My presence there is to help facilitate these non-technological activities.
In “Robotic Moment”, Turkle quotes, “But the point is that they are real. That’s the whole point.” Here, she took her daughter to a museum, and she talks about how the children were more concerned about the inconvenience it must be to take care of a real creature, like the turtle in exhibit. I find it very unusual that the children were not as excited about seeing such a rare creature. Instead, they preferred that it be a robot. I feel that these kids are growing up with robotic pets, and although these pets don’t come with a lot of responsibility or attachment, they are missing out on the joys of what it means to own a real pet.
In “Connectivity and its Disconnects”, Turkle talks about a grandmother and granddaughter, Ellen, and how they would keep in touch through Skype. Before, Ellen would have quality conversations with her grandmother over the phone, and she didn’t seem to mind that it would cost her a bit of money. With the invention of Skype were not only you could make free calls, but you can also see the person virtually face-to-face. Instead of feeling overjoyed with Skype, she found herself hating it because multitasking would occur (i.e. someone checking their email).
In “Romancing the Machine”, Turkle proclaims, “Now – for adults and children – robots are not seen as machines but as ‘creatures’, and then, for most people, the quotation marks are dropped.” I find this statement as the perfect summary for this blog post. Technology has advanced so much that it’s no longer foreign, but a part of our daily lives. We are indebted to it because we have integrated it in our daily lives but, at the same time, it’s blurring the lines between fantasy and reality.