Andrew Sullivan's Article: Retreat Into The I World

1212 Words3 Pages

In the article “Retreat Into The I World” by Andrew Sullivan, he explains and analyzes the impact of technology on society. According to Sullivan, technology is narrowing people’s minds. They author talks about “iPod people” and that relates to the narrowing of the mind because these people are all consumed by the music in their ears and not on the people or things around them. The author also expresses how he himself is one of these “ iPod people”. Sullivan used an example of when he went on a trip and forgot his I Pod. He realized that it was strange not having the device and he was actually was noticing the things around him such as the noises from the car, nature, and the people around him. Sullivan also explains in this article that the technology is spreading. …show more content…

The author even goes as far as comparing it to a cult because so many people are becoming these” iPod people”. An example is when he says “get on the subway and you’re surrounded by a bunch of stepford computers staring mid-space as if anaesthetized by technology”. Society did not used to be like that. Sullivan also says in his article that music used to be something that was shared. Today, you rarely see people sharing the experience of music like they used to; you see little white wires hanging out of people’s pockets and ears. Sullivan expresses that it is not just music that is isolated; it is almost everything on a daily basis. The author writes a convincing article to remind us to keep your mind, eyes and ears open. There is a whole lot going on around you that you’re missing out

Show More
Related

  • What Is Quality Time Redefined By Alex Williams Summary

    918 Words  | 2 Pages

    Technology is one of the most important things in everyone’s life. Technology improves every day. in regards to today’s youth, they were born with all the new technological inventions as opposed to our parents. In “Quality Time, Redefined” by Alex Williams, published in the New York Times, the author talks about the positive and negative effects on technology. I enjoyed this reading because it related my personal day to day life. Even though some Americans acknowledge that technology is a part of their everyday life, they do not see the negative outcome of technology, they are blinded only by the positive aspects.

    Read More

  • Growing Up Tethered By Sherry Turkle

    1111 Words  | 3 Pages

    She states, “On the contrary, teenagers report discomfort when they are without their cellphones” (240). Turkle explains that without their only source of feeling connected, teenagers feel anxious and alone. Teens see technology as their only source of connection with the rest of the world. In addition, without technology, teenagers seem uncertain as to how to respond in certain situations, creating a much greater problem than just the feeling of loneliness. It affects their social skills and ability to interact with others in various surroundings. The desire to try new things and meet new people is also affected, because teens are so occupied with the social life they have created through technology. It's their comfort zone. Furthermore, in her story, Turkle expands on the term of the collaborative self. She does so when she states, “Again, technology, on its own, does not cause this new way of relating to our emotions and other people” (242). Turkle describes that technology is not to blame for the way people connect with others in the world today. She explains it is the responsibility of the individuals using the technology to use it appropriately. It is a great learning tool. However, too much technology may cause harm. It is up to the individual as to how and when to use it. For example, the internet is a great resource, but used in excess may cause more harm than good. In some

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Jean Twenge Has The Smartphone Destroyed A Generation

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    Technology has always been at the forefront of the world’s mind, for as long as anyone can remember. The idea of “advancing” has been a consistent goal among developers. However, recently the invention of smartphones broke out into the world of technology, causing millions of people to become encapsulated in a world of knowledge at their fingertips. Jean Twenge elaborates on the impacts of the smartphone on the younger generation in her article “Has the Smartphone Destroyed a Generation?” Twenge’s article is just a sliver of the analysis that she presents in her book “IGen.” Twenge, a professor of psychology at San

    Read More

  • Clarifying Can You Hear Me Now? by Sherry Turkle

    808 Words  | 2 Pages

    When reading an article or journal, it can be complex and not fully understood by everyone. Because of this we would have to investigate meanings to be able to understand the full text. Sherry Turkle, a professor and current director of the MIT initiative on Technology and Self, in her 2007 Forbes article “Can You Hear Me Now?” she addresses the topic of technology and discusses society’s growing dependency and alienation as a result of it. Since Turkle wrote the article for an educated, mature and business oriented audience, some terms and ideas may need clarifying for the common reader. In her article, Turkle “offer[s] five troubles that try [her] tethered soul” (272). These are the effects that technology has on people. She discusses the Blackberry throughout the article, which is not concretely defined. In this paper, I will clarify Turkle’s references and terms for better understanding.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of How Technology Hijacks People's Minds

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tristan Harris’ “How Technology Hijack’s People’s Minds” talks about how technology influences over two billion people every day. Today, technology companies who have systems with advertisements, news feed, and recommended videos are determining what people do with their time and what they are looking at. Harris believes technology is hijacking people’s minds by creating applications that constantly steer people’s attention away from whatever they are doing toward their electronic devices. Behind these applications, there are hundreds of psychologists working to persuade people’s attention. Technology is changing our ability to have the conversations and relationships we want with others. I agree with Harris when he says technology hijacks

    Read More

  • Fahrenheit 451 Essay On Technology

    447 Words  | 1 Pages

    Although Though technology can be good, it can be worse than good, such as people always with their faces on their phones and headphones in their ears, people neglecting books and using more online text, and people wasting their lives watching TV.Children now know how to use a phone faster than they can

    Read More

  • Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: A Cautionary Tale

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...helle Hackman, a sophomore in high school, realized that her friends, rather than engaging in a conversation, were “more inclined to text each other” (Huffington Post). Michelle also became aware that over forty percent of people were suffering from anxiety when they were separated from the phones. This clearly shows that we are connected to the technology that we use, but we are also suffering from the use of technology. We spend more than half of our entire day using some sort of technology, whether that is a computer, phone, television, or radio. Technology is becoming a prevalent part of our lives, and we cannot live without it. Technology has become our family, and part of us.

    Read More

  • A Rhetorical Analysis Essay On Technology

    500 Words  | 1 Pages

    John Horvat II, from “Five Ways Technology Is Taking Over Your Life,” is an illustrator, researcher, international speaker, and a contributor to “The Blaze” website, and also an author of books. The main point from this article is that technology is a bigger problem now, technology is supposed to be a beneficial resource but not to the point that we get handled by it. The author strongest asset is the use of pathos to get to the audience emotions and make them believe that he’s right. The audience of this article are people who use technology in an excessive way, which is majority of the people, so he is basically referring to everyone who have a relationship with technology.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Essay

    913 Words  | 2 Pages

    After all, as previously explained, one is about change of phones and people’s attitudes toward them, and the other is about changes in the music industry. While both essays shine light on different subjects, they also differ with how they express change. Is Sharing Files Online Killing Music? is telling the reader exactly what things changed, using evidence, and what their outcomes were. On the other hand, Dearly Disconnected has the narrator provide personal experiences that paint comparisons and contrasts of the payphone versus the

    Read More

  • Our Cell Phones, Our Selves by Christine Rosen

    1761 Words  | 4 Pages

    Since the Industrial Revolution, technology has become an essential tool in human life. Technology impacted lives in society by offering a way to “multitask” by using two or more technological devices. Technology and internet offers the facility to do homework faster through Google, while listening to music on Pandora or YouTube. Sometimes, you can even talk on the phone while you listen to music and do homework. All you need in order to multitask is to have all the technological devices needed. Many people consider technology as a positive change in our lives, because of the facilities it offers us. However, many other persons, like Christine Rosen, think that technology instead of improving our lives, it has only changed it negatively. Technology, in fact has provided us with many facilities, however such facilities are affecting our interactions with the physical space.

    Read More

  • Effects Of Technology On Hip Hop

    1500 Words  | 3 Pages

    With each passing year, technology has become highly involved in our lives, and continues to at a rapidly increasing rate. Technology, in many ways, was designed to help people in various fields of work. However, it has also achieved the reciprocal. Where does music lie? Has technology hurt or helped the field of music, specifically hip-hop? What do these advancements mean for the genre?

    Read More

  • Technology And Change: The Effects On Music And The Artists Who Create It

    1660 Words  | 4 Pages

    Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1907884,00.html Kot, G. (2009). Ripped: How the wired generation revolutionized music. New York: Scribner Books, Inc. Prices for pro equipment. n.d. - n.d. - n.d.

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Cell Phones

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... are virtually mini telephones, digital cameras, laptops, and ipods in one. That amount of technology in such a compact space is truly astounding. It’s unfortunate to think cell phones are just becoming, if they have not already, another “status symbol” indicating where you rank on the ladder of what our culture deems “in”.

    Read More

  • Is Technology Making Us Dumb?

    1448 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...r phones update our minds suffer another loss. People are slowly losing their independence to think for themselves and the ability to rely on their own intelligence instead of a computer`s. When this happens, it can endanger the proper development of the personality and hamper the social relationships needed for life together in society. The more we succumb towards technology, the less personality we are capable of retaining. It`s come to the point that the smaller our devices get, the smaller our brains get as well. Technology has vastly improved over just a short amount of time, and societies` dependence on it is strengthened more and more with every day that passes. Yes, it makes life "easier", but the easy way out isn`t always the best way. People don`t just depend on their technology for help anymore. It has come to the point where they depend on it to survive.

    Read More

  • Technology Is Affecting Our Future Generations

    936 Words  | 2 Pages

    Albert Einstein quoted, “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” The use of technology today is affecting our future generations by introducing them fast into using technology. Children today are focusing more on Ipads, Ipods, smart phones, or other electronic devices, rather than focusing on their knowledge. In addition, toddlers are mastering using electronic devices before they can even speak. (Alison Lee, 2013) According to research conducted by Alison Lee, it has been shown that when her child was 17 months old, he could activate the television by the use of the remote control. Although, today’s technology has also abducted the minds of adults, and It makes them addicted to it. For example, due to careless driving and many causes of death accidents, this happens from people who use their electronic device while driving their vehicle. In fact, technology is being upgraded annually, and causing more people to get addicted to it. Today’s society is very addicted to technology, that studies indicated that 2013 is the year where some human beings have an internet disorder. In addition, people who have internet disorder suffer from this condition. However, people who are overly attached to the use of technology makes them more prone to anxiety, physiological disorders like cyber bullying, and clutched to that electronic device would dominate home life.

    Read More

More about Andrew Sullivan's Article: Retreat Into The I World

Open Document