“Technology proposes itself as the architect of our intimacies… [It] is seductive when what it offers meets our human vulnerabilities” (p.1)
We are vulnerable by nature to ourselves, to others, and to our environment. The world is indeed becoming more chaotic. Our culture teaches us from day one to be independent, to try harder, to do more, to want better. In this culture, we are also often raised to ignore or suppress our feelings and weaknesses, to keep quiet around others. Technology has provided us with a way to anonymously or openly express our emotions. It invites us in by providing the space to connect, without demands, without sacrifices. We crave intimacy but also need solitude and can’t seem to consciously disconnect or reflect on these two ideas, as separate ideas. We want everything all the time.
"I believe that in our culture of stimulation, the notion of authenticity is for us what sex was for the Victorian -- threat and obsession, taboo and fascination" (p.4).
With the constant bombardment of information, whether through technology, media, people, advertisements, school, work, etc, we are often unable to filter the stimulus. In other words, it seems impossible to block out certain information and take in what we want. I think that generally, as our mind is attempting to process it all, we get lost in the chaos and loose track of how to define what we are receiving. Therefore, we don’t know or care whether something is real/authentic because we are just trying to get through the times of perpetual enticement. Along with this normative management and apathy, we also become conditioned to avoid authenticity as it present a risk to the continuous flow. It can cause a break in string, a glitch in the transaction of streaming thoughts. With the pause can come vulnerable desires to feel susceptible and ‘threatened’ or consumed and ‘obsessed’?
In regards to my service work I can see this in myself and in the girls I work with. For me, sometimes, I feel myself take on the position of an adult whose working for 2 hours, trying to manage kids and get the tasks done. On the other hand, I always want to reach out to the girls and make connections, but it is of course hard because they may not like me or reveal something that is hard for me to accept and know. Based on my past experiences, their stories can get under my skin in a way that makes me want to retreat or be distracted as I often feel helpless. As to the girl’s attitudes, I can sense their fear of speaking up, of sharing, or feeling that their opinions and/or stories don't have value. When we are talking about complicated subject matter like ‘gender discrimination’ they all close up and even when I give them an example relevant to their lives, they nod is agreement but do not want to share their thoughts. They look around, afraid of their peers, afraid of judgment, afraid of saying the wrong thing, of being rejected.
“Robotic Moment”
Turkle states that “Authenticity…follows from the ability to put oneself in the place of another, to relate to the other because of a shared store of human experiences…”(p.6)
This is my definition of empathy. As humans, in a constantly changing world, fluxuating with more globalized community, we need to be able to find ways to get along, to understand, to empathize with people from various cultures. Currently, I see a lot of people passing judgments, diving into long-standing stereotypes and discriminations, and fighting the urge that we all have to be happy and live in a peaceful world. People are resisting. Maybe it is from the fear of authenticity, of connection, of possible rejection, of basically feeling the ups and downs of life. We cannot let technology sweep away the very conditions of life that make us human. While there can be pros to robots in certain situations that do benefit some people, they cannot replace entire relationships, even if they make us feel good. We have to experience HUMAN contact, HUMAN emotions, HUMAN fights, and HUMAN triumphs.
“Connectivity and its Discontents”
“…young people are among the first to grow up with an expectation of continuous connection…All of this makes them fluent in technology but brings a set of new insecurities (p.17).
Turkle writes how young people have friendships on social network sites, or blogging sites and at the end of the day, they may not be able to definitively say whether they have communicated or connected or even have friends. At an age of major development, teens do not need to have more insecurities than they will already be burdened with from puberty, school, identity, etc. Of course, I am not saying we should eradicate all technology but there should be limits or more deep conversation with young people about what is happening and what else they can consider. Many teens also don’t feel comfortable expressing their emotions to adults, and even more to now to each other therefore they risk more isolation and lower expectations of what friendships and relationships can and should be(in my opinion).
“Romancing the Machine”
“But when we ask what we ‘miss’, we may discover what we care about, what we believe to be worth protecting. We prepare ourselves not necessarily to reject technology but to shape it in ways that honor what we hold dear” (p.19).
Turkle superbly states what I agree with. That is to understand technology and its place in our world today, as well consider its possible effects, both positive and negative. Lastly we need to have constant discussions about this, not only in academic settings, but also at home, amongst our family and friends, to critically analyze its stance and make decisions about the tough questions regarding the psychological, social, and ethical meanings of technology in our lives. I believe everything in moderation is okay, especially when we are all consciously aware of its involvement in our lives.
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