Introduction
Is information technology an identity technology? Over the past decade, the rapid advancement in technology has made a great impact human lives that questions the identity of individual. The following discussion will be about the reflections of Sherry Turkle on how online interaction and technology influence identity construction. For better understanding, it is important to analyze the analysis of Sherry Turkle of the computer as a reminiscent object and the human relationship with the object. Turkle’s observations on the identity online and its characteristics will be highlighted. Turkle discusses the impact of technology in human life through the young minds of students that she evidently observed. She further argues that the technology that embeds “in a culture that supports democracy, freedom of expression, tolerance, diversity, and complexity of opinion is one of the next decade’s greatest challenges” (Turkle, 2004). This paper will discuss whether the evocative object (i.e. computer) has helped to find the identity of the users or induced the users to lose their identity. Even though there are negative impacts from the advanced technology, Sherry Turkle proves that how technology has changed the way of leaning and thinking that helps to find the identity of individuals.
Human Relationship with the Computer
Computer has made the life easier by providing various applications and technologies. For example, while computer has replaced typewriter, it helps the students to become a better writer as they can “revise text, rearrange paragraphs, and experiment with the tone and shape of an essay” () while using word processing. Thus, the computer helps the students to improvise their writing. Human relationship with co...
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...clude the sense of human identity. People who express several aspects of self cannot develop the “aesthetic self,” as they have no experience in sharing the real feelings to others. People who express several aspects of self cannot develop the “aesthetic self,” as they have no experience in sharing the real feelings to others. Turkle’s analysis of the computer as a reminiscent object and the human relationship with the object helps us to understand online identity. Undoubtedly, technology has changed the way of leaning and thinking that helps to find the identity of individuals. As we are highly depend on technology and computer in recent times, the dependency and relationship with computer and technology are the potential to severely influence our formation of identity. As Erik Erikson and Turkle rightly said, internet has provide a safe place to find our identity.
Biever and Turkle discuss how the Internet can be used as a tool for exploration in a general sense. Firstly, Biever writes, “The couple insists the feelings they have for each other are real and that they were madly in love long before they met face to face” (397). From Biever’s perspective she sees the Internet as an opportunity to meet and explore people’s personality before they actually meet in reality. The ability to express one’s self over the Internet allows for the lessening of awkward situations and physical judgment. Biever then goes on to write, “… communicating online is more conductive to openness than face-to-face rendezvous” (398). Because the Internet offers us the ability to remotely explore people’s feelings and personality as well as taking the awkwardness out of meetings, it allows us to explore people on a deeper level. Biever really sums the feeling of being in a more open and explorable environment on the Internet by quoting Ren Reynolds a virtual-world consultant, “We tend to be more honest, more intimate with people” (398). Secondly, Turkle also talks about exploration in her article, but from the perspective of self-exploration. Turkle w...
She argues, “Now I suggest that the culture in which they develop tempts them into narcissistic ways of relating to the world” (244). The author argues that the society in which young adults grow up, reflects on their view of the world. Growing up in a technologically advanced society, teens seem ill prepared to deal with their day to day surroundings that require social interaction. Many millennials show little interest in anything dealing in the past. Instead, they are focused on the future and the next great technological advancement. Lastly, at the end of her essay, Turkle expresses the true social issues of teens due to the abundance of technology. She claims, “teenagers who will only ‘speak’ online, who rigorously avoid face-to-face encounters, who are in text connect with their parents fifteen or twenty times a day, who deem even a telephone call ‘too much’ (243). Turkle claims that there are consequences resulting on the heavy reliance of technology. Teens only speak over text and cannot even speak on the telephone, because they are too internal. Rather than speaking externally with others, teens are quiet while only communicating with themselves and over the phone. They would rather write words, than speak them. This is creating a generation of young adults who are not comfortable in normal social
In both works, the authors identify how the influence on technology is changing how humans identify themselves. Carr using his experience to explain this idea giving the reader the idea that he is feeling the effect technology is taking in his identity. “Over the past few years I’ve had an uncomfortable sense that someone or something, has been tinkering with my brain, remapping the neural circuitry, reprogramming the memory “(53). He gives the reader a firsthand insight of how the influence of technology has change his own identity changing his mind as a whole. He also gives the example of becoming machinelike. A metaphor he uses to explain that humans are becoming emotionless, and less caring for certain ideas. They are becoming cold and brainless are the new part of their identity altering the ability to think. While, Turkle uses everyday life examples to emphasize this point. She states that people create avatars online to be represent their self the way they want to be. However, being able to change a certain aspect of an individual life alters the way they perceive who they are. According to Turkle “people who gain fluency in expressing multiples aspect of self may find it harder develop authentic selves. Some people who write narratives for their screen avatars may grow up with too little experience to share their real feelings with other people” (289). The meaning behind Turkle words is that technology is influencing how individuals view themselves, and become remapping the idea that humans are social
Turkle’s stance on this topic is emotionally engaging as she uses rhetoric in a very powerful approach, while also remaining unbiased. The article flows very smoothly in a beautifully structured format. The author maintains a composition that would appeal to the interest of any sort of audience. She effectively questions the reader’s views on the negative consequences technology has on social interactions. Her work is inspiring, it sheds light on the dark hole society has dug for themselves, a state of isolation through communication in the digital age; this is a wake up
The topic of technology and our society has become a very controversial subject today. Many people believe that technology is an essential component of our modern world, helping us to improve communication from farther distances as well as giving us easy access to important information. On the other hand, there is the opinion that too much technology is affecting social interactions and our basic development. “Technology…is a queer thing, it brings you great gifts with one hand, and stabs you in the back with the other.” (Carrie Snow.) The CBC Documentary “Are We Digital Dummies” displayed the pros and cons when it comes to modern technology that we use in the western world everyday.
The novel, Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other (2011) written by Sherry Turkle, presents many controversial views, and demonstrating numerous examples of how technology is replacing complex pieces and relationships in our life. The book is slightly divided into two parts with the first focused on social robots and their relationships with people. The second half is much different, focusing on the online world and it’s presence in society. Overall, Turkle makes many personally agreeable and disagreeable points in the book that bring it together as a whole.
In the article, “Connectivity and Its Discontent,” by Sherry Turkle, the author discusses the relationship between human beings and technology. First, the author begins the article by explaining why people choose to text message because it is easier compared to face to face contact. On the other hand, technology can prevent a person from feeling lonely and having power to control a conversation. In addition, the author states how a person can multitask while communicating with someone on video chat, yet a person can feel at times guilt-ridden by ignoring a person sending emails while socializing on video chats. Meanwhile, Turkle contends that some people are choosing to be closer to their devices by focusing on themselves and not show consideration
Turkle speaks about how the use of social technology can cause us to ignore the people around us. She states that the use of social technology has caused a great lack of tolerance for being alone especially for children who need solitude and makes it harder to form relationships. She also claims that people start to objectify others and the use of social technology could even disrupt families too. She makes reference to how dinner used to be an utopian deal in the past but presently, Facebook is the new utopia. Turkle claims that it has devalued empathy as people are now okay with robot companions and these interactions are dead ends. The problems she identifies include the development of an autonomous self, crowdsourcing decisions and also difficulties in getting into any relationships. The resolution she came up with covered having sacred spaces strictly for conversation, asserting our dominant culture and she also has hopes that the children would lead us out of
.... She says online identity is textual based but technology has furthered itself to make it visual and textual based. Turkle also says that cyberspace is a relatively consequence-free moratorium yet it seems to me that there is nothing relative at all about it. It has many consequences. She states that online identity expands and affects real identity but I disagree. I believe that online identity can not affect real identity because they should be the same. No one should play around with online identities because when returning to reality, a person will have a false sense of security and self. The world has moved on from Freudian ideas to new social practices of identity as multiplicity.
“Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, allowing us to do things more quickly and efficiently. But too often it seems to make things harder, leaving us with fifty-button remote controls, digital cameras with hundreds of mysterious features.” (James Surowiecki) Whether or not is known, technology has become too heavily relied on. It is replacing important social factors such as, life skills and communication skills. While technology is created to be beneficial, there must be a point in time where we draw the line. Once face-to-face conversations begin to extinguish, this means that there is too much focus on the “screen culture”. In her writing, “Alone Together”, Sherry Turkle talks
Before the internet, our characteristics such as style, identity, and values were primarily exposed by our materialistic properties which psychologists define as the extended self. But people’s inferences to the idea of online self vs. offline self insisted a translation to these signals into a personality profile. In today’s generation, many of our dear possessions have been demolished. Psychologist Russell W belk suggest that: “until we choose to call them forth, our information, communications, photos, videos, music, and more are now largely invisible and immaterial.” Yet in terms of psychology there is no difference between the meaning of our “online selves” and “offline selves. They both assist us in expressing important parts of our identity to others and provide the key elements of our online reputation. Numerous scientific research has emphasized the mobility of our analogue selves to the online world. The consistent themes to these studies is, even though the internet may have possibly created an escape from everyday life, it is in some ways impersonating
Writing takes on many faces, from personal stories to make believe places. College writing however, has a completely different designation. Furthermore, computer intensive college writing looks further into the depths of writing, focusing on technology and the writers behind the computer screens. With the unbound horizons of technology, students are exposed to a vast amount of culture, much more than the traditional pen and paper courses. Computer intensive college writing courses teardown roadblocks, allowing students to become aware of surrounding cultures, therefore diversifying their minds while exposing them to the current technology.
Given this point, the device one caries has become a powerful tool for communication, empowering us to define who we are. Giving us a platform to this new form of intimacy we have with technology, has spoken to us in a new state of the self. This advance generation has constructed a different form of identity through the operation of social media app. In were there two standards of identity in gender. The state of dualism male is seen tougher than a female who are viewed softer. It is a double standard of mind and body. Significantly on social media males are identify to more logic and reason, and female are intuitive to their emotions. Young people are using social media to focus on the expression and management of their identity. Leading
The Cyber World exists parallel to our physical reality in that the Internet, television, video games, and cell phones all play a role in shaping who we are as individuals existing together outside of technology. Experts say digital media helps us because it may enhance time management skills; increase productivity or social interactions; and may even improve optimism and self-esteem, as well as general knowledge. However, Sherry Turkle, a professor at MIT, claims that social media is a metaphor for real life. We think it might change our lives for the better, make it easier, make us happier… but we all know what they say: you can’t buy happiness. Well, social media comes with a cost. I want to argue that too much of it can become a problem where we are no longer helping ourselves, but where we are beginning to become handicapped by changing our relationships with society and perhaps even our evolutionary
Technology affects everyone! Whether positive or negative, we are all affected, how it manifests itself into problems for youth will be studied and debated for years. Balancing technology throughout the educational process and keeping with current trends and uses of technology will affect everyone. Technology has transformed our youth’s daily and social lives. How do we measure the effects of technology on our ability to socialize or have a successful social life? Socializing is not just talking face to face, it’s our ability to interact, learn, and create original thought. Technology hindering today’s youth and their ability to socialize is affecting their capacity to read, write, and communicate. Today’s youth depends on careful considerations for the implementation of technologies. Our youth do not have the capability to convey their emotions through the use of technology, understand sadness, happiness or joy through simple text or emails. Communicating through the use of text, chat, and social network sites is lost using abbreviations and slang, inhibiting the use of the Standard English language. Using computers and hand held devices for relationships, reading, writing, and entertainment, turning them into introverted and socially inept individuals. Current trends resonating from our educational institutions to our workplace can be examples of how technology has altered the way younger people communicate. This tragedy transcends from youth to adulthood affecting the workplace. Social networking sites have begun to take hours away from employers. How do students understand ethical and moral dilemmas unless they are allowed to make mistakes and work through a particular problem? Creative and original thought needs...