Here is the post for comments/questions on Turkle's "Can You Hear Me Now?" Turkle's view on technology is very different from many of the articles we've read prior to this one. While I know that many of you disagree with her and think that her article is a little overdramatic and extreme in its view, can you see any value to the questions she is presenting? I think the most important metaphor that she draws in her discussion of technology occurs with the question about the live turtle in the Darwin exhibit, does it matter that the turtle is real? Does it matter whether our relationships, conversations, and interactions with others take place face-to-face or electronically? Does it make any difference? Will it change the way we think, feel, or act as human beings?
And just for fun, a quote from "Mr. Roboto" by Styx:
The problem's plain to see
Too much technology
Machines to save our lives
Machines de-humanize
And the link to the incredibly awesome music video if you've got time to kill :)
We should live our lives, not pretend we are on cyber space.
ReplyDelete- Matt A.
I agree, too bad too many places are starting to go cyber. Someone can't even apply for a job except online; kind of hard to make a first impression that way.
Delete-Jaxson S.
I agree Matt and Jaxson! There are some benefits from online tools but there are things that will always need to be done by way of communicating. There is a need for living our every day lives for how they are, not for what the internet wants us to believe they are.
Delete-Bailey M.
I thought that it was prety sad, that the older people in Japan get to socialize with robots because their childreen are too busy to take care of them.
ReplyDeleteAnna Hollingsworth
I completely agree. Technology is fabulous, important, and absolutely crucial to our progress. BUT, it should never be the center of the human experience. We should embrace it, let it enrich our lives and help us solve the issues we face; but we should never let it overtake our lives. We should never "live" in cyberspace. And for heaven's sake we should never allow robots to become replacements for the children of the elderly who live in assisted living centers!
Delete- Colton W.
And yes I do believe that it matters a lot whether we talk to somone face to face or electronically. It is really hard to tell what kind of emotions a person is experiencing while trying to say something elecronically which can cause a lot of confusion.
ReplyDeleteAnna Hollingsworth
There are big disadvantages from speaking electronically, and there can definitely be some lost communication due to the lack of emphasis despite how many emogees you use. :)
Delete- Felix B.
I heard a quote a while back that stuck with me, it goes "Never let personal communication be replaced with technology.. or life can get lonely." Later i discovered that research has been done on this subject, and it turns out that those who are the most prolific social networkers are also the loneliest. With technology it's easy to stay in touch by being distant, problem is that more and more people find themselves feeling distant and never touching. In order to feel close to someone it almost always needs to be face to face.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, pornography has become a huge issue with our peers and even elders throughout the years as technology has advanced. I think that it's not just apparent, but obvious that these cyber people become lonely, so lonely that they will resort to adult videos to satisfy the absence of real love. Pretty sad...
Delete-Jaxson Schreck
Is it a coincidence that there are dozens of movies about how robots (technology) will be humanities demise? It does seem true that we are becoming a society of disconnected connectivity.
ReplyDeleteFor real. It's a scary thought to have that one day it could possibly happen just because people thrive off of technology.
Delete-Taylor O.
I prefer the Zombie apocalypse to the robot apocalypse, but I guess it is more likely to occur with robots. haha
Delete-Charles S.
I don't think that robots will over take us. We are smart enough to realize when something bad is going to happen because we have made movies about robots taking over. I think a zombie apoclypse is more realistic because one bad case of rabies or something like that good start the end of the world just like the swine flu.
DeleteThe rise in technology is so unknown. Most of us expect bigger and better things with each year. I agree with what colby said,if some device becomes your best friend haha... then what?? You will lose some of your personal relationships. I am afraid that this world might be coming to that.
ReplyDelete-Bailey M.
I think they article was dramatic, but honestly time changes so fast with technology that what the author said probably isn't completely blown out of porportion. Texting isn't a relationship. spending time with people is. I think the world is forgetting that
ReplyDelete~Staci Galvez
When I was younger Mr. Roboto was one of my favorite songs, and I still like it now, but they do ahve some good points in the song. I don't think technology will over run us like in the Matrix, but when need to make sure they don't control us. Like my little brother playing x box all day long.
ReplyDelete