Connecting Online Vs. Face-to-face

Connecting Online Vs. Face-to-face

Another thing I’ve been thinking about that was talked about in Sherry Turkle’s Ted Talk is the idea about the difference between connecting and conversation. Basically you can't get to know someone on the same level online as you would in person. We’re all so worried about appearances that we edit everything before we post or send something. I think this can be a problem because not only are you tailoring things so that people see you a certain way that may be completely different from the truth, but it also causes people anxiety by overanalyzing and misinterpreting. This also reminds me of online dating—how much can you really get to know someone online?

I laughed when she mentioned that she hears a lot of people say, "I'd rather text than talk." I would definitely agree that one problem created by technology/social media is that it causes a lot of people to not only prefer not to have face to face conversation, but it can also cause people to have worse communication skills.

Cyber Bullying: Is there a solution?

Cyber Bullying: Is there a solution?

I got very angry when I watched this video. If I were this girl’s parents I’d probably find a solution of my own. Of course I know people get messed with, but I’ve never heard of something this extreme except for in movies/TV. It’s absolutely appalling that young people are becoming this way. I think that people should focus more on this, the root of the problem- steering our youth in a different direction. I would say the parents of these bullies need to take control, but there's a good possibility that they are the reason their children are acting that way.

I don’t exactly understand Boyd’s point- I think the point might be that punishing bullies will only make them angry and cause them to lash out even more. Either way, I believe they need to be punished- put them in juvie for a while and they wont have a way to bother anyone.

#Social Media Fads#Interesting or Annoying?

Social Media Bill of Rights

Social Media Bill of Rights

I’m kind of neutral on this topic of privacy as far as our rights online. I don’t necessarily think Lori Andrews goes to far with her proposal, however I don’t see how it would easily be enforced. This may prevent employers/schools from being able to ask someone for access to their page, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still try and look at it. How would anyone know if they did and if that affected their decision? And if someone was already an employee and their boss found something online that made them want to fire them, I’m sure they could easily make something else up or find some other way.

I would agree that when you post anything online, whether or not you think that it’s fair, you shouldn’t post it if there’s anyone out there that you wouldn’t want to see it. Part of the problem is that the younger generations are often too young to realize the ramifications of their actions or they just don’t care at that point (such as posting a picture of them at a party). Another problem with employers/school using this information to judge is that they may be to judgmental. In other words, what someone’s online self looks like may have no connection to how they would pull themselves together for work (although this is probably more relevant for say a part time job for a highschooler, than someone graduating from college and looking for a career). It may be annoying not being able to express certain things, but that's just the way it is. 

Being Together, While Not Being Together: A response to Sherry Turkle's Ted Talk

Being Together, While Not Being Together: A response to Sherry Turkle's Ted Talk

Sherry Turkle gave a very compelling argument, although when I hear things like this I wonder if people read too much into things because everything has its pros and cons.

I guess because I've grown up with technology, I never really think about its impact. I'm honestly surprised things aren't more advanced. It seems like things advance in a way that I don't even notice anything (which is partly probably to make more money. For example, the last iPhone upgrade didn't seem much different, but because of the way people are they have to have the newest thing). It blows my mind when I hear about the technology- more like the lack of- that my parents grew up with.

When Turkle showed a picture of her daughter and her friends being together, but all of them were on their phones, a light bulb went off for me. I’m always getting annoyed with my boyfriend because when he’s on his phone it’s like I’m talking to a brick wall and he’s always on the darn thing. But it’s not just Facebook, it’s also playing game with people online or texting. It’s like pulling teeth to get him to put it away long enough to watch a movie. Then the other night, we went out to eat with two of our friends and they were all on their phones throughout the whole time and I was just thinking, “Why are we even here?” What this Ted Talk made me realize is that I’ve never thought about it in a “phenomenon” sense (the media/technology side), but I always think about the person aspect and how they are being ridiculous. I also realized that the reason I see things differently is because I’m not caught up in this-and I wonder if this is partly because I have a short attention span and get bored easily on my phone. I prefer sitting around with people and talking. I don’t even think people realize how “addicted” they are. I’m not necessarily sure how I feel about the effect technology/media has on people because there are so many different angles to look at (such as it making people happy).

She also talked about how people have a problem with being alone, which she related to when people reach for a devise such as at a checkout line. While I would agree with the argument, I’m not sure that I necessarily agree with this connection. I think the fact that people always grab their phone when they have down time is simply just to waste time and stay occupied- as much as we hate to be alone, we also hate to be bored. Sometimes I act like I’m on my phone just to avoid awkward situations.