Analysis Of Who Holds The Clicker? By Lauren Slater

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Technology is inevitably taken for granted because it is constantly surrounding us. There are many instances when technology and the not so artificial world blur together to form one but unfortunately, it is all too easy for technology to become way too prominent and ultimately take away what was originally there. In “Who Holds the Clicker?” by Lauren Slater, Slater discusses a way in which technology can help people with psychological diseases by implanting electrodes into the brain which set off stimulations, this is known as deep brain stimulation. These stimulations can control the chemicals that effect our mood giving relief to people who have chronic psychological disorders. Technology also plays a major role in “Alone Together” by Sherry …show more content…

Without technology we would be very limited to the amount of cases that could be treated. When one becomes sick or needed surgery they would have a very limited range of options, all of which would be extremely painful. Without technology we would be without anesthesia, prosthetics, and deep brain stimulation. Slater talks about Mario Della Grotta who had a severe case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Mario’s OCD was so inhibiting that DBS became a way to potentially save his life. Once Mario undergoes surgery he finds himself back at the doctor’s office getting his mood adjusted. Mario states, “’I felt a strange sadness go all through me,’ he says. Mario recalls [the doctor’s] fingers tapping on the keyboard, adjusting the current, the pulse duration, and frequency. After a few taps, the sadness went away” (Slater 239). Mario describes what it feels like to have the neurotransmitters in his brain blocked. Mario believes that his ability to cope with his OCD has become easier and that he is now living a normal life. Without technology in healthcare Mario would still be suffering without new options. Technology can be very beneficial in healthcare for people with almost all disabilities. Another upcoming technology is robots, robots can provide a sense of therapy for a range of people in need. Turkle states “Paro, developed in Japan, has been advertised as the first ‘therapeutic robot’ for its ostensibly positive effects on the ill, elderly, and emotionally troubled” (270). Paro is a sociable robot that is shaped like a baby harp seal, Paro can be used to help people such as Miriam who feel lost or alone in the world. Miriam was going through a hard time after moving to into a nursing home and having a poor relationship with her son. Miriam was living a lonely life and found comfort in Paro. Robots can help people who would have otherwise been upset or miserable. In health care robots can

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