Human Interaction: Plugged or Unplugged

1171 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Impact of electronic media on our society

We live in a digital age. It is a part of most people’s daily lives. We use our electronics to wake us up, and then inform us of our daily schedule, news, e-mail, stock portfolios, and various other information throughout our day on various devices, including phone calls. For most of us, this is a daily routine, as the generations before who listened to the town crier or local gossip for their news, or we progressed to reading newspapers or books, to gathering around the radio for information, on to watching television, and finally the computer. We now live in a world that is hyper plugged-in, so much so, that we carry our chargers with us anywhere we go for fear that our electronics will run out of power. So are we better off plugged-in to all access information with a constant barrage of noise or are we better unplugged with less noise, without the deluge of information that is thrown thrust upon us daily.
Andrew Sullivan who wrote the essay “Society Is Dead, We Have Retreated into the iWorld” believes that we are being inundated with technology and that it is creating a bubble effect. A bubble effect that is creating an isolation that is killing socialization, or possibly taking away the opportunities to have serendipitous events occur in our lives if we tune others out. Sullivan states, “There were little white wires hanging down from their ears, or tucked into pockets, purses, or jackets. The eyes were a little vacant. Each was in his or her own musical world, walking to their soundtrack, stars in their own music video, almost oblivious to the world around them. These are the iPod people.” (317) With all this boundless information and the connections we can have at our finger tips that should be bringing us together, but ...

... middle of paper ...

... smooth flowing currents and some raging rapids along our ride, and that we take others along with us. I think we are adaptable enough and that we can navigate our way through the pitfalls and perils to come out the other end unscathed. We must take the social lessons we all have learned through life and apply them to our digital life. And hopefully, we can follow our own rules when we are plug-in and to know when to unplug and smell the roses or just listen to the silence. For then we can truly be happy in our digital world, and we can become happier people all around.

Works Cited

Akbari, Anna. “A Personal Guide to Digital Happiness.” The Atlantic Monthly. 7 Nov. 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
Sullivan, Andrew. “Society is Dead, we Have Retreated into the iWorld.” Ideas That Matter. Ed. Katie Hannah. New York, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 223-237. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Connectivity And Its Discontents By Sherry Turkle

    1291 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “Connectivity and its Discontents,” Sherry Turkle discusses how often we are found on our technology. Turkle states in her thesis “Technology makes it easy to communicate when we wish and to disengage at will.” In the essay are interviews on several different people, of all ages to get their view on the 21st century. Teens are starting to rely on “robot friendships,” the most communication teens get are from their phones. Are we so busy trying to connect to the media that we are often forgetting what is happening around us?

    Read More

  • The Great Forgetting

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    The evolution of technology has had a great impact on our lives, both positive and negative. While it is great to be able to be able to travel faster and research anything with the smartphones that now contain almost every aspect of our daily lives, there are also many advances within the realm of technology. Nicholas Carr presents information on the dependency aircraft pilots have on automated technology used to control airplanes in the article “The Great Forgetting”. Likewise, in “Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?” written by Stephen Marche, the result of isolation and pseudo relationships created by social media is shown throughout the article. We live in such a fast paced society with so much information at our fingertips that we don’t make

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Retreat Into The I World

    1088 Words  | 3 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 “I Pod 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 “I Pod 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 and car, nature, and the people around him. Sullivan also explains in this article that the technology is spreading.

    Read More

  • A Dystopian Society: The Challenge Of Absent Presence

    1265 Words  | 3 Pages

    We live within an era of great technological achievement. As new devices and forms of communication are developed, our society evolves along side. Technological determinists argue that technology is bringing us into a dystopia. Social constructionists, however, argue that we are entering a utopia of communication; a world full of connections regardless of distance and self. In addition, there are those that argue we will remain within our syntopian world, one with a virtual equilibrium between man and machine. Despite the perception of the world we are moving into, there are evident symbiotic relationships that we have with our devices and their applications: both good and bad. For the purposes of this paper however, we will dissect how our relationships with our devices affects sociology. Specifically, we will be identifying and explaining a term that has become known as absent presence.

    Read More

  • Response To Blare's No Need To Call By Sherry Turkle

    910 Words  | 2 Pages

    Our modern day society depends on technology for everything, can anyone imagine a life without their phone or computer? Probably not, social media and other popular applications have become so ingrained into our daily lives. Not only can we connect with people anytime throughout the day but we also have so many useful applications that help us on a daily basis. Thinking back to when I was eight years old, I couldn 't wait for sixth grade because my parents had promised to get me a cell phone, I remember counting down the days till the summer of fifth grade was over because I already knew which cell phone I wanted. Once I got it I couldn’t stop showing my mom all of the cool things it could do. Which looking back at it today, it really couldn

    Read More

  • Interactive Society and Instant Gratification

    695 Words  | 2 Pages

    The ability for people to surround themselves with the familiarity of their comfort place by using their technology is appealing because it rarely provides the user with something unexpected or unfamiliar. By constantly being cut off from personal interactions and new experiences because of a technological device. A generation with substandard social abilities is being groomed. If we do not have to face reality by experiencing new things, making personal relationships, and problem solving, then we will never be able to function as Humans. Technology hinders personal communication, which negatively impacts our lives. Although “our culture heralds the Internet as a technological wonder, there are suggestions that Internet use has a negative influence on individuals and their social skills,” (article 1) Data shows that those who use the Internet frequently spend over 100 minutes less time with...

    Read More

  • Technology Causes Social Isolation

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    How much can technology impact your social life? Who would of thought that technology would affect life in such a major way? Little did people know that technology can impact the way humans interact with each other. While listening to music and playing games on their mobile devices, how many people actually get to know one another while standing right next to each other? A small ride on a metro or bus ride will show you just how little interaction goes on in a humans life do to the amount of use on their mobile devices. The role technology plays in socializing has a great impact on people’s interaction. People can be standing right next to each other with out saying one word to one another. While waiting for the next class to start or even during the class, people tune out the rest of the world and this can lead up to social isolation. Technology has had a bad impact on the way humans socialize because it causes people to be less interactive. Social isolation is a health condition that can become very severe and lead up to depression, anxiety, despair and many other things. Social isolation can be avoided if technology is limited to use at only appropriate times as when bored, alone or incase of an emergency you would use cell phones.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: Is New Technology Safe For People?

    1489 Words  | 3 Pages

    Technology is a vast body of knowledge in which it is used to create tools, develop skills, and to collect materials. Technology includes anything that can improve your life overall. The most used technology in today’s age and time is the internet. Mark Griffiths, Ph.D. in Psychology, states that the internet has become a space for individuals to freely communicate with others who share the same interests at little or no cost (217). In 1973, communication overall went to a greater level with the creation of the mobile phone. Cell Phones have made it possible to keep people in touch while there on the go. Over time cell phones have evolved at such a fast rate that they now are capable of using the internet which was once limited to your desktop computer. When I walk down the street I constantly see people walking with their phones up and their heads down looking at the device in their hands. Adolescents are very guilty of these actions. Sherry Turkle, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, states that the internet can be used as a “safe space for the personal experim...

    Read More

  • People Shouldn’t Spend Too Much Time on Digital Devices

    873 Words  | 2 Pages

    A beautiful commercial, “Disconnect to Connect”, which was made by Thailand DTAC Company, shows that there are many people always focusing on their cell phones. The commercial shows a man ignoring his girlfriend who is walking with him on the beach, another man neglecting his friends who are playing piano, and a father overlooking his children who are playing around. Then, they smile and find the happiness of life after they turn off their digital devices. These things happen constantly around us every day. Nowadays, the functions of digital devices are stronger, and our eyes and fingers contribute more time on it. There is no doubt that the digital devices make our life more convenient and easier because people can connect with each other immediately. Nonetheless, people should not spend too much time on digital devices for three main reasons: having less face-to-face communication, depriving people’s brains of needed downtime, and negatively influencing people’s health.

    Read More

  • Effects of Technology on Sociability

    576 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some may argue that technology helps us not feel lonely because technology is the way to escape reality for a bit and the internet can reconnect with our friends and family from around the world. We can save time by “shopping” online and communicate quickly by “email than postal mail” (Franzen 428). We can also communicate via webcam, especially for college students away from their family. It’s a way to reconnect with our love ones and stay in contact with our friends. We want to be “able to share our lives with others” and technology “allows us to do that with music, videos, pictures, and texts” (Arnett 477-479).

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Sherry Turrkle The Flight From Conversation

    1734 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the article “The Flight from Conversation” which describes the effects of technology on human interactions, Sherry Turkle argues, “WE live in a technological universe in which we are always communicating. And yet we have sacrificed conversation for mere connection”. Many others would agree with Turkle; technology and its advances through new devices and social media takes away face-to-face conversation. Her idea of being “alone together” in this world is evidently true as many people can connect with one another through technology, altering relationships to adjust to their own lives. Despite Turkle’s opposition, I believe that technology makes our lives easier to manage. There are numerous forms of social media platforms and handheld devices

    Read More

  • What Are The Negative Effects Of Technology And Social Interaction?

    1245 Words  | 3 Pages

    Technology has changed the way society interacts with one another. While technology has allowed society countless means of social interactions that weren’t possible 50 years ago, and has allowed people to sustain long-distance friendships that would have otherwise ended, the fact remains that technology is still taking over human interaction. Many may argue that this change has been positive. However, there are those who believe that this is one of the numerous social disasters when it comes to technology. It is believed that the changes are ruining the quality of social interaction that we all need as human beings.

    Read More

  • The Future of Reading

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rosen, senior editor if New Atlantis, on her essay published in Wilson Quarterly in autumn 2009 “In the Beginning Was the Word,” points out how digital technology, especially in communication and entertainment, affects negatively on our lives socially and cognitively. She believes that although technology might appear as sign of our progress as humans, it is withdrawing us from the core literature. Rosen explains th...

    Read More

  • The Impact Of Digital Technology On Your Daily Life

    787 Words  | 2 Pages

    By better understanding digital technology, we improve our control over such information. Consider the impact of digital technologies on your daily life. The cell phone is one of many digital devices that have drastically changed people’s lives in terms of connectivity and productivity. You probably use your phone throughout the day to communicate with friends and business associates, look up information on the Web, check your friends’ Facebook statuses, snap photos and post them online, send e-mails, plan your evening, play games, watch movies, and listen to music. Technology has transformed the world.

    Read More

  • We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    Life without technology, is that even possible? In today’s time, we as a society have become mentally and physically engrossed in technology. Whether it is an iPhone, iPad, or iMac, we are engaging in digital technology as an escape from the outside world. Sherry Turkle, a psychologist and professor at MIT, now the author of Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other, has been studying how people and digital technology get along for thirty years. She suggests that digital technology is seductive because it serves the purpose that we never have to be alone. We constantly have that ability to interact in a way that makes us feel comfortable. Turkle explains the paradox of technology well; how it can compare to some real life emotional bonds but on the other hand can just be too much.

    Read More

More about Human Interaction: Plugged or Unplugged

Open Document