Alone Together by Sherry Turkle - Essay Example

?Commentary: Alone Together (Sherry Turkle) Introduction The conclusion by Sherry Turkle in the book Alone Together demonstrates how in general individuals reshape their lives on the screen, in this case, the computer screens. Her discussion relates to the mobility of identity within the context of the social media networks and new technologies for relationality. This paper shall focus on the arguments proposed by Sherry Turkle, supporting such arguments with other arguments from other references. More studies on the topic in question are indicated in this paper. Body The conclusion by Sherry Turkle indicates a significant issue in relation to connectivity and whether we as humans want to stay at this point of social media connectivity. Individuals at present have fashioned and shaped their lives based on their computer and social media activities. For the most part, their work, social life, and sometimes family life is connected and in some ways disconnected through the social media. This was discussed by Turkle, admitting how individuals often find themselves actively engaging in the social media and still being disconnected from each other from the most basic units of communication. Turkle points out that connectivity is useful, however, it also affects people’s attachments to elements or things which have always sustained individuals. She narrates a story involving her daughter Rebecca and her experience of bringing her to Ireland, helping her get settled into a dorm room as she was starting school in New England. Even with the distance, constant communication is still made possible with her daughter. Video chats have also allowed for actual conversations to be carried out with her daughter. Still, the author finds herself looking into old boxes looking for letters from her mother in the days when she herself went off to college. After finding the letters, holding these in her hands, she feels as connected to her mother as ever. Still, regular contact with her own daughter has been sustained through the internet. At times, there is a feeling of being constrained to be brief and still be charming during multiple video chats. Still, with the transition of technology, the author also realizes that in maybe 40 years from now, her daughter may not find the same connectivity to her as she has had with her mother. The digital footprints and records may have been faded erased and replaced with newer models which push the old information and communique out of the way. The story narrated by Turkle does show how lives are reshaped on the screen. People’s identity is ever mobile and ever changing, especially with the active use of the social media. More than ever, the transition has been seen in terms of digital settings where the digital technologies present the best usage for such settings. The shift from the digital world has been very quick and innovative and transitioning towards a specific convergence. Within the last decade, mobile technologies were not widespread in use, however, they have become more widespread. They have also provided us with an energetic process relating to service delivery which can be evaluated anytime and anywhere. Such omnipresent possibility for the social media has helped provide the connectivity and social media identity which has been discussed by Turkle. Such connectivity has supported the individual identity individuals seek to support. Mostly it is an identity which is digitally based. Under these conditions, it is possible to carry out transactions online, to call customer representatives and request assistance, to pay bills using credit cards from mobile phones, and even to receive goods with SMS confirmation upon delivery. Within this digital setting, the social media has become an omnipresent phenomenon. It has been imposed into the consciousness of people and their identity as well, enticing their participation in its active use. The lives and identity of individuals in the current age of social media is now inundated with text messages, phone calls, e-mails, Facebook posts, and Twitter posts. In so many ways, most people have become accustomed to these social media sites and activities. These sites have become a typical part of individuals and their regular lives. They participate in it and deal with it as well. Still, with the social connectivity, the personal connectivity to the real environment is poor. In some ways, although family members may be at home, they are all in their own rooms, in front of their computers, laptops, tablets, or hand-held devices, texting their friends or updating their social media status. While they are connected to the outside world, they are not connected with their family, their immediate environment. This would support the argument of Turkle that in so many ways, we have become cyborgs or robots especially as we are always wired or digitally connected in some way to some electronic gadget. We enjoy being connected with friends through these technologies. Teenagers thrive well under these conditions, and through the social media, they are able to explore their identity. Some people are also able to establish a second life, another vibrant personality which may not be the actual personality they have in real life. They are able to choose avatars which can present the preferred representation of self they seek. In using avatars, people are able to establish an anonymous identity, even a different identity, one which they can manipulate and even control. Turkle also discussed that even as individuals feel stronger and enhanced when they are part of the social network, they are also going through fewer multitasking activities in relationships. There is a neutral position seen in the beneficial and weakened sides of being immersed in the internet for the users. People often note their absence by texting, calling on phones, or by simply looking at the screens of their hand-held devices. Areas where individuals work with each other are akin to a social collection, not so much a communal space. Most of the time, individuals are absent from the physical reality and emerge in the virtual space, while ceasing interactions with the more physical and immediate surrounding. This is also true even when one is travelling to a remote area where people want to hang out with friends or family, but still keeping an online presence, and keeping in touch with one’s digital friends. Still, there are ironies in people trying to distinguish between the actual and the virtual world. An individual who is married with children exists in the real world. However, he may find himself having a happier relationship with other people in the online setting. He may sometimes prefer his digital life rather than his actual physical life. Moreover, individuals may feel that their power to improve their efficacy can be secured as they also multitask. In fact, they cannot perform well under these conditions especially as all their work is not well done. There also seem to be more material and information which can be gained from the online setting, however, the truth is not always observed in such settings. Network devices also pressure users. As a result, individuals may find it difficult to escape the demands of connectivity, often discounting any breathing room for the parties involved. A museum curator for example, hardly incapable of keeping up with computer and digital technology may simply want to be offline in order to just take a much needed break. Under these conditions, the online space is one which is so invasive, an individual is forced to take unplug in order to escape its pressures. Within the tethered and fast-paced setting, individuals often express complaints about not having sufficient time for themselves in their own mind. Turkel expresses that to secure more time to think implies the need to put away the technological devices for a while. Turkle also suggests that there are paradoxical effects for networks on teenagers. It is usually easy enough to contemplate on their identity while letting go of their past because the internet will likely last forever; in effect, they may want to exist in a world with data not being taken away from them. The author discusses also the case of Sanjay who is wondering how long he would have to be involved with “this.” There is a sense of weariness in the remark, a weariness which suggests a difficulty in dealing with the social media in general. Turkle does not specifically indicate whether she agrees or disagrees with the use of networked tools, however, her discussion implies that it is not good to be tied down by the social media and its related technologies. I am also inclined to express that do not favour the tethering of self to the virtual world. In effect, while I do have hand-held devices and a laptop, I would try my very best to not rely on these too much in order to prevent the feeling of being tethered and of not having personal boundaries. I am still however concerned about the way individuals react to the transitioning devices, with people rushing to buy these each time new versions are released. Moreover, it is also usual to observe how individuals are used to looking at their phones or other hand-held devices as soon as they have free times. I do not feel such is a good place to be because I do not want to be tethered to a technology and world which controls me, not the other way around. The social identity of individuals is therefore often based on how one perceives himself or herself within the digital setting, not within the actual and physical setting. Turkle is considered a strong observer in terms of evaluating the observed subjective aspect of relations for individuals as well as technology. She has established herself as an expert in the social studies and in her books, she acknowledges the robotic moments of man, where intimacy is often lost, sometimes sought in solitude. Individuals seem to seek their love and intimacy under these conditions and as such make themselves vulnerable to its difficulties and demands. There is an issue of these difficulties and how they would impact on the understanding of love and intimacy. Statistics on the social media does indicate how individuals have become tethered to its use and how their identity is formed and sometimes fixed by the social media and the major changes which can be set into its use. There are also recognized challenges in the actual person engaging in the social media especially as the social media can shape one’s desired image in the virtual setting, often serving as a rehearsal for actual life. At present, people may seek a means of managing their life based on the mash-up of their personal and their virtual life and identity. The internet allows for different ways by which the elements of human expectations in sociability and individual sociability can be used in the larger context of human communications. Communication technology allows for better connectivity, however it also does not allow for in-depth communication, discounting intrusion, even of simple phone calls. Turkle brings things into perspective well, especially on how important issues relating to technology can be managed. She is firm in reminding the public that the human touch is very much important and that individuals must be open to the management of resources in order to allow for better choices in interactions. In effect, in terms of online connectivity, Turkle points out how connections often redirect human relations and activities, diverting actual human activities and shifting them from what it would actually imply within the community setting. Such innovative links also take away the chance for individuals to develop independence, to be alone, and to be introspective. The major benefit of Turkle’s paper is the fact that it has various examples, allowing for provocative situations to put things into perspective. Conclusion In general, Turkle seeks to suggest a way forward, however, in some ways this is a weak proposal in relation to the stronger forces on unreflective elements of advancing technology. While there are gaps in her discussion, the mobile identity is an identified element in relation to the social media. Under these conditions, the social media is dominant in the lives of people, often to the point where it is dictating out identity, not the other way around. References Turkle S, 2011, ‘Conclusion: Necessary Conversations’, in Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other, Basic Books, New York, pp. 279-296. Read More