Technology and Social Networks: A Demise of Human Relations - Term Paper Example

College: Technology and Social Networks: A Demise of Human Relations The digital generation, to which I belong, has bore witness to an upsurge of social media platforms, ranging from prominent ones like Facebook and Twitter to the less known social sites, such as Tumblr and 2go. These sites have amassed a significant number of loyal adherents, who can barely go a few hours before logging into their accounts to convey certain thoughts, however absurd, or check for responses from friends to comments made earlier. It has become ordinary to see two or more people in a seemingly friendly meet, more engrossed in their electronic gadgets, than in each other’s company (Humphreys 812). A liable culprit, for the radical change in people’s mode of association, is the drastic growth of the internet. People have progressively lost their core social connections and are instead opting for superficial relations determined by the number of online friends or affiliates. Some might argue that such sentiments are only upheld by technophobic individuals, incapable of embracing digital advancement. However, it would be ignorant to overlook these significant sociological changes, and assume that, their concurrent occurrence with rampant technology use is simply coincidental. Turkle amply negates this notion of dystopia in Alone Together, providing a comprehensive and convincing synthesis of experiential research, which shows that social media platforms impede healthy relations by elevating web addiction, fostering pretext and enhancing narcissism. Turkle’s argument primarily draws attention to the peculiarity of social behavior triggered by technology. It is fascinating to note that an average American teen spends hours glued to the internet every day and sends more than two thousand text messages per month. Further, communication via email is deemed virtually obsolete by most young people, showing the rapid transition from one technological platform to another. Despite the fact that none of these technological advances existed in the relatively recent past, people have matched the exceedingly rapid digitization pace set by the young generations, easily creating virtual lives in chat rooms, in games requiring multiple players, and on blogs. The high number of participants in such virtual lives supports Turkle’s argument that, people are increasingly finding simulations of real life situations more attractive than actual life. This large number of internet and social sites addicts also validates Turkle’s concern that we live in a world, where people are training themselves to revere and avoid environs or situations that are not mediated by computers. Turkle applies a two pronged approach to develop her argument. In the first section of the book, this Alone Together author addresses the issue on increased usage and popularity of inanimate objects that mimic humans. Subjects in diverse studies, primarily comprising of kids and the aged, get robotic companions for different durations of time. This naturally translates to nourishment of a bond, prompting users to prefer robots to humans, as time progresses. Droids that depict higher sophistication evoke even deeper emotional links, not just among targeted users, but also among designers, who are reported to dislike the thought of leaving the robots alone in deserted laboratories. Such unhealthy connection to inanimate objects is disconcerting, and one cannot help imagining what would happen if these machines were programmed to become more sociable, than the presently underdeveloped ones. Turkle accentuates the apprehension wrought by these developments, when she reveals that pet androids are currently available to aged or lonely care home residents, and people can also get recreational robots commercially (Turkle 201). Turkle further draws attention to the propensity of people in the contemporary society to turn to technological advances, as a solution to technology-induced stresses. This brings about the technology paradox, which exacerbates the pervasive nature of digital developments. For instance, it is common for individuals to purchase Blackberry phones based on the perception that these gadgets will aid in calendar organization, only to find themselves addicted to the very device that is supposed to help them set aside time for human interaction. As Turkle explicitly states, “they talk of filters and intelligent agents that will handle the messages they don’t want to see.” (202). Even though the truth is bitter to accept, it is irrefutable that tendencies to edit out certain aspects of life, point to deeper feelings of meaninglessness and loneliness. The fast paced digital life encumbers people’s inherent desire for productive connections and occasional solitude. This implies that consistent inter-linkage via virtual platforms robs people of the unique opportunity to spend constructive time on their own. Consequently, individuals have a diminished ability to imagine, to intently explore their minds’ capacity, to pay close attention to their environs, and most importantly, to establish themselves as autonomous beings. This explains Gennaro and Dutton’s (593-595) research findings, which show declining creativity among children in the highly digitized modern environment. In addition, just like Cohen (678-680) emphasizes, the inability to be alone effectually translates to diminished self-esteem and constant yearning for superficial validation from other people. Such characters end up being anxious both when alone and around others because the relationships they form, are entirely founded upon their terms and they cannot handle criticism. These relationships that are devoid of transparency and acceptance of differing opinion essentially constitute being Alone Together, since the individuals need virtual presence afforded by companions but only on their own terms and conditions.   The other section of Turkle’s book addresses web addiction. This is an area with which most people can identify, although it is equally perplexing. The author combines information, spanning three decades, gathered from interviews on people from varying social age brackets, effectively identifying similar patterns of compulsiveness. Most of us start using technological devices with the hope of gaining better control of our lives, only to find ourselves on the opposite side of the control spectrum. For example, most virtual gamers start playing online with an illusion that it will give them some time to relax and explore their adventurous side, only to find themselves addicted to the games and essentially transforming into their avatars. This blurs the line between fantasy and reality, which is a dangerous path to tread, since one can no longer delineate his or her identity with the requisite clarity. Turkle is the first to admit that, causalities for people’s higher expectations of technology and lesser of other people are intricate and difficult to demystify. However, she logically explores the features characteristic of modern capitalist environments, with particular interest in time and economic models. The author is keen to note that, capitalism is to blame for the intensified pressure on people to perform at a higher than norm capacity. For example, an average American has to take on more than one paying job, more working hours or a greater workload, in order to effectively meet his or her needs, as well as, those of potential dependants. As a result, people have limited time and energy for extensive interaction with friends, family and acquaintances hence the higher reliance on technologies to curb this deficiency. Even though these technologies initially acted as a promise for the much needed personal time, they have come to erode the very purpose for which they were built. Turkle gives examples of connectivity erosive technologies, as the cellular phone and the smartphone, which have essentially merged people’s work and spare time. In the author’s words, “even when we are not at work, we experience ourselves as pressed on call” (13). In line with Turkle’s argument is Kim et al.’s (1185-1187) research finding that, intense work pressure and need for time has prompted individuals to imagine the purportedly unthinkable way of life, three or four decades ago. Many cannot fathom how people in the past could survive without the internet and its peripherals, and they genuinely express the fear of being unable to eliminate intricacies of work or emotional connections. This clearly shows that technology has pervaded society and instilled a strong sense of freedom from close emotional connectivity among many people. For example, some of Turkle’s interviewees express the desire to be freed of the responsibility of forming close links with humans. While one fantasizes about the ability to replace a complicated boyfriend with a compliant android partner, another thinks of the freedom she would enjoy if such a robot would be availed to a parent in a care home. The primary problem with this dynamic is not that it counters supposedly “normal” communication. Instead, the problem lies in the fact that humans recognize the unconscious and submissive nature of the robots, and yearn for this lack of feelings and emptiness. It appears as though, people feel a sense of relief when they avoid challenges or disagreements brought about by other people, which brings to question technology’s ability to connect people. Turkle’s research also shows that young people and children are more affected by technology than older people, who at least have some memories of living during the analogue era. Teenage interview subjects in the book express a morbid fear of the phone. Unless they are sending text messages, many teens do not favor phones. Majority perceive real time phone calls as immediate and upsetting, since they require directly responding to the caller. The young generation is also accustomed to recording everything, whether humiliating or celebrating success. The youngsters instantaneously convey the recordings directly to the web, without a single thought on the potential repercussions of their actions. This clearly shows complete disregard for privacy and discretion. They are completely consumed by the intense social pressure to be part of an extensive network even though some resent the exposure, further building on the theme of being together, yet feeling isolated. Turkle adequately explores the different ways through which greater dependence on technology negatively mediates human interactions. People are naturally emotionally needy, but technology allows for call diversion or blocking, “unfriending” of peers on social media, and avoidance of institutionalized dependants. Social networks promote self-absorption, while most technologies encourage us to perceive others as burdens to be eliminated or resources available for exploitation. These are all symptoms of budding programmability and degradation of the fundamental nature of humans’ social makeup, as Turkle extensively illustrates, not through anecdotal evidence, but with ethnographic research findings garnered over a long period of time. Works Cited Cohen, Sheldon. Social relationships and health. American Psychologist, 59.8(2004): 676–684. Gennaro, Corinna di and Dutton, William. Reconfiguring friendships. Information, Communication & Society, 10.5(2007): 591–618. Humphreys, Lee. Cell phones in public. New Media & Society, 7.6(2005): 810–833. Kim, Hiyo, Kim Gwang Jae, Park Han Woo, and Rice Ronald. Configurations of relationships in different media. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12.4(2007): 1183-1207. Turkle, Sherry. Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. New York: Basic Books, 2011. Print. Read More