In her article, "Digital Demands: The Challenges of Constant Connectivity," Sherry Turkle argues that continual connectivity to technological devices has ruined peoples' abilities to "think complicated things," be still, and experience solitude. After reading Turkle's article, do you agree or disagree with her claims? Please explain your answer.
ReplyDeleteSherry Turkle argues, in her article “Digital Demands: The Challenges of Constant Connectivity,” that continual connectivity to technological devices has ruined peoples’ abilities to be still and experience solitude. I partially agree to this statement in the sense that people are too attached to their phones and do not truly experience what is around them. For example, there has only been one concert that I can remember where a portion of the people weren’t snap chatting on their phones to prove that they were there. That was when I went to the Beach Boys concert and it was primarily an older age group. I believe that if you are with your friends you should not be on your phone paying attention to other things because I believe that is rude. However, I do not completely agree to her statement that people cannot experience solitude because of their addiction to being connected. For instance, about 75% of the time I do not even know where my phone is because I really do not enjoy texting or talking on the phone. I rather be with a person. I am always getting yelled at by my friends and family because my phone always being dead. The most I use my phone is to listen to music while I workout. Which is during my alone time. Or to be quite honest, I do pay most attention to my phone in the classes that I do not enjoy. But that is because I am bored and reading articles, not because I am feeling the need to stay connected to people. Therefore, I only agree with her partially.
I do not agree with Sherry Turkle’s claims in “Digital Demands: The Challenges of Constant Connnectivity.” By her claiming it has caused society “unable to think complicated things” is ignorant. Technology has allowed people from all around the world to share ideas and voice their opinions. She points out how ineffective she believes PowerPoint’s are because they get to the point and are “too simplistic.” However, most times PowerPoint’s are used to summarize information and point out key components after initial reading has been done. She also believes technology doesn’t allow us to have solitude which in a way she right. Yes I am able to text everyone on my phone at anytime of day or receive a notification, but I also have the choice not to answer a text or to turn my notifications off or even leave me phone at home.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Turkle's article, I partially agree with her argument. We go through our daily routine surrounded by technology, such as texting, using social media, and email. It fills up our free time and keeps us busy, but does it require us to think critically? She mentions in her article that Microsoft powerpoint has taught us to make an argument in a summarized form using bullet points and pictures. It allows us to cut corners by skimming the surface of our topic. Technology also helps us with research, but typing in a question to google and finding the exact answer hurts our ability to think critically. Along with thinking complicated things, the ability to be still is also suffering. Our generation is becoming more dependent on various technology that keeps us busy, such as social media and texting. If we went a day without cell phones and social media, we would become restless because we need technology to keep us constantly preoccupied.
ReplyDeleteAs pointed out in the prompt, the author, Sherry Turkle believes that the use and expansion of technology has brought an inability to newer generations of being able to "think complicated things", be still, and experience solitude. I think Turkle's most effective argument is one of the last sentences of the article, "... if kids feel that they need to be connected in order to be themselves, that's quite unhealthy." I feel that this statement is very true especially for my generation. In college, all you see of college students is an iPhone in their hand every where they go. There are billions of apps on this phone where you can tell the world what you're doing or where you're going. You basically feel as if it is necessary for everyone to know what you're doing, honestly I'm one of those people. I'm taking a picture of my textbook at Strozier library and letting everyone know on Snapchat that I'm studying when I actually should be focusing or studying with friends and have a person to person connection rather a person to person connection over a piece of technology. I don't agree with Turkle when she says that newer generations are unable to think in a complicated way because of technology. I believe that technology provides people with new insights and beliefs that we, as humans, can ponder upon and decide for ourselves and contemplate about these new ideas. I especially disagree with Turkle when she says that people in these generations can't be still and experience solitude. I NEED solitude once in a while especially when you're constantly around people and society. Especially with the overload of people and technology now a days, people need to take a step back from it and be still and just relax. When I'm back home, I'll just drive to the beach and chill on the sand without my phone or I'll take a yoga class and be still, even if it's only for a couple minutes. Yes, technology has erupted into a massive overload in society but I still feel that it is necessary for everyone to be capable to be still and look up from their phones or laptop and enjoy the moment.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with this claim. I use my phone out of necessity like many people my age, but I can get by without it. It doesn't hinder my ability to think or socialize. I know several people who would be lost without their phones, but I can go days without feeling the urge to look through social media. I also believe that "solitude" is important and that it is less common in today's society, but I still enjoy being alone and won't go crazy if I can't check Facebook or texts every five minutes. I believe, however, that a lot of young people can't live without the constant attention of social media.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sherry Turkle’s claim that technology causes us to become less still but I heavily disagree with the claim that it makes us think less complicated. I agree with her idea that it makes us less still and have a shorter attention span because I have ADHD an when I was younger my doctor would only allow me to watch television for an hour a day. She did this because studies have proven that watching television and being on the computer increases hyperactivity and shortens your attention span. I do not agree with her claim that it makes us think less complicated because the computer alone has birthed some of the greatest inventions ever. We use technology for almost everything now, all of my books, articles, and papers are all accessed via computer. I believe technology has caused us to think more complicated than ever before because of the ambitions to create new and more advanced technology.
ReplyDeleteI think that technology has stopped people from being able to fully talk to people and not be really awkward about it but I dont think its lowered anyones creative thinking or ideas to think out of the box. Alot of people on the internet and who use technology think very deeply and you can read about it making you want to think creativly. It has lowered everyone communication abilities and the ability to have friend but helps thoughts if anything.
ReplyDeleteIn Sherry Turkles article, “Digital Demands: The Challenges of Constant Connectivity,” she argues that connectivity to technological devices has ruined peoples’ ability to think complicated things, be still, and experience solitude. I can agree and disagree with the statement she makes. Technology has allowed people to make points and provide new ideas for the whole world to see. People also learn a lot with so much technology around them. Although technological devices have helped many, it also can alter ones ability to “think complicated things.” People today are constantly on their phones, or social media, and it is difficult for them to open their eyes and understand what is going on around them.
ReplyDeleteAs I read Sherry Turkles article, "Digital Demands: The Challenges of Constant Connectivity," I was able to both agree and disagree with her statements. She claims that because of technology, we're no longer able to think complicated things, be still, and experience solitude. In some ways yes, she is right, but in others I find her very wrong. In today's society, we've been opened up to so much more because of all the technology we've come in contact with. We've been able to discover new things, make new advances, and be as creative as we want. Others can look at it as a downside though, because technology has also brought laziness and accidents. Technology definitely has its ups in downs in that it has created this unlimited world to us, yet at the same time it's developed many issues and consequences for us as we use it. Today we use our phones for everything; texting, emailing, videoing, editing, etc. There are many benefits to what our technology can do for us, but Turkles is right when she says that it has made a lot of our society sedentary.
ReplyDeleteContinual connectivity to technological devices can be good or bad depending on how you use it. News travels faster because of it and you can learn so much more than before all of this technology. The opportunity to express our opinions proves that you can use this technology to think more complicated thoughts. For example, this very assignment as a part of journals completed online for this class is a way to use the internet intellectually. However, if all we used technology for was to look at pictures of each other on Facebook, then that would indeed ruin our ability to create complicated thoughts. I do find it difficult to be still and experience solitude The worst effect of technology is when we use it for social purposes while physically in a social setting. The positive effects of our constant connectivity largely outweigh the negatives. We may check Twitter a little too often, but we have saved more lives, made more discoveries, and educated more people because of today’s technology.
ReplyDeleteI disagree and agree with Turkle's article. In my own personal opinion and experiences technology does not ruin people's abilities to think complicated things, in fact it enhances them. When I see movies or read articles on the internet, many times it causes me to think more about what I've just seen or read and what the writers were trying to convey to the audience. I do agree with the fact that it lessons someone's ability to be still and experience solitude. Myself and others included are constantly checking social media and never just sitting still in situations that call for it. For example, in a movie or in class, events when you're supposed to listen and provide full attention, people are checking their phones Even as soon as you go to bed you're checking it and its the first thing you do when you wake up. Technology offers both benefits and detriments in our society today and people need to realize when enough is enough.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Turkle's argument. I feel like a lot of people think that new technology such as our smartphones and everything that comes with them like social media is changing the way we interact with people but I disagree. I think that social media and technology keeps us more connected than ever. I still spend quality time with all my friends and family, and if I lost my phone I wouldn't even care. It seems as though technology has taken away from person to person interactions but I recently saw a picture that described this misconception. It was an old picture of a bunch of people on a full bus and everyone had their heads down in a newspaper, I think that people now are just as social as we have always been, it's just the way we distract ourselves during times we want to temporarily seperate ourselves from other people has changed.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Sherry Turkle's argument. The argument for people struggling to be still and experience solitude may be true to an extent, but claiming people are incapable of making a complicated thought is outrageous. Constant connection to technology in all reality has not in any way led society toward a mentally incapacitated state. I would go as far to say that constant connection to technology enables complex thought. Children today are growing up with computers, and with computers comes the ability to access any bit of information available on the internet. With this constant stream of knowledge comes the ability to formulate new ideas, build off of old ideas, and critique old ideas. There are plenty of people that take advantage of this opportunity and use it to formulate complex ideas.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with Sherry Turkles argument in her article, “Digital Demands: The Challenges of Constant Connectivity,” that technology has stunted peoples ability to think "complicated things" and stay still. I know I can't go a day without touching my phone because of email notifications I need to constantly read for class. If I didn't read them I would forget an assignment or not sign up for an upcoming test. This doesn't mean that I can't think critically it just means that I have something that makes my life a little easier to manage. People can also still enjoy their time without technology. I see tons of people out on Landis not using there phones and are instead sitting around enjoying the day. Most are laying down reading a book or playing with their dog. If that isn't proof that we can stay off our phones and enjoy ourselves then I don't know what is.
ReplyDeletei disagree with Sherry turlkel she says that technology makes people not see things do more more complicated things but that is false with the use of technology we are able to drop bombs on the other side of the world, with out technology we would be in a time way less advance, telephones and social media allow us to connect with people instantly we can still think more complicated with understand technology and using it to our complelte advantage helps up, She says powerpoint is to simplistic but this is were she is wrong it gives a visual aspect to viewers to understand complicated methods and teachers that are hard to get across from just paper or a professor lecturuing on and on
ReplyDeleteI agree with Turkle's claim of the loss of the ability to "be still, complicated think, and solitude." With social media being the focal point of our everyday life, people are influenced by everyone else's opinion instead of voicing their own. We are conformed to the formal structure of following what everyone else posts because we are too lazy to critical think for ourselves. With technology's advancements we are able to know anything about everything which in the case of thinking complicatedly has a negative impact on our lives. Instead of coming up with our own thoughts and arguments we are able to look them up on the internet and portray them as our own. Turkle says that "Technology makes it easy, we've all wanted to think it is good for us." Technology makes us feel that even when we are alone we don't have to be alone. But as Turkle mentioned about solitude, we need that in our lives to strive and be independent but you need to know how to use it. By having every source of media at your finger tips every second of the day, there is no way that the generation today can truly gain the knowledge of solitude until they put their technology down and live their lives as they should be lived.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with her for a number of reasons. The main on being that technology allows us all to be interconnected and thus it helps us to learn more, and by learning more we are able to better our ability to think critically because we now know more than we did. Also, technology can give us more avenues to learn what we are trying to learn. For example, in the 1920s it was much harder to gain information than it is today with the internet and things like google. This incredible access to information makes it easier to think critically because more information is suddenly available.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Turkle' s claim that due to our modern technology that connects us all so strongly we have become dependent on this constant web of connection that we can no longer stand on our own two feet. By having this connection people are so conditioned to find validation for what they do through having their friends around and when the friends arnt around one would more easily face social anxiety. Also by having this constant social connection I agree that people are simplifying their thoughts and put less emphasis on what they are doing. It degrades the quality of work that is being done and destroys the ability for one to focus.
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