Technology vs. Intimacy and Connection

 In Alone Together, author Sherry 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" (pg. 4). I believe this is a way of describing our uncontrollable and quickly rising need for technology. It has become not only a temptation, but an addiction; similar to the desire of sex that those in the Victorian age possessed. There is still a strong desire for sex, but the idea of sex is not booming as it was in the Victorian age and as technology is today. This concept has an underlying theme of intimacy and connection. In this day and age, most of us rely on technology as a form of intimacy and connection. Relating to personal experience, there are times where writing an email or sending a text message is easier for me rather than speaking to the person directly. When it comes to school, emailing my professor is more convenient for me instead of waiting for the next class period or meeting during the teachers office hours. Taking this into consideration, I can apply this idea to my service learning experience. I will have the opportunity to work with people with wonderful stories, stories one simply cannot look up online. 
Robotic Moment:
Turkle mentions a child's preference of a robotic turtle rather than a living turtle, “ For what the turtles do, you didn’t have to have the live ones” (page 4). Reading this shows how the generation below mine is so adjusted to technology that they are no longer interested in the fascination of the biological beings around us. The author does a good job in showcasing foreshadowing in this segment.

Connectivity and its Discontents:
“Technology makes it easy to communicate when we wish and to disengage at will” (pg. 13). In the reference to Ellen skyping with her grandmother, Turkle makes the point in the above quote that with technology, we can easily multitask and select when we would like to engage in communication. The Skype sessions between Ellen and her grandmother are an alternate to using the telephone and spending some face to face time together, however Ellen is simultaneously checking her emails while she chats with her grandmother. By multitasking during her Skype session, she is defeating the purpose of the conversation all together. 


Romancing the Machine:
“We are on the verge of seeking the company and counsel of sociable robots as a natural part of life” (pg. 19). When I read this portion of the chapter, my mind immediately related back to the podcast "Talking With Machines". Because our generation creates their own intimacy through technology, we build relationships with these machines and grow an attachment. It is our human nature to want to reach out to anything that ignites an interest in us. We as a technologically driven generation must know that there is a limit to how much we use machines and how far our relationships go with these machines.
 

-Michelle Bella