Agreeing with Sherry Turkles View of Social Media - Research Paper Example

WE ARE CROSSING THE LINE: AGREEING WITH SHERRY TURKLE”S VIEW OF SOCIAL MEDIA INTRODUCTION There are very few people in the world today under the age of 50 who do not have some kind of social media account; be it Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, MySpace, or any number of dating sights that advertise online. Regardless it is becoming more and more obvious that human beings are becoming more and more comfortable with having relationships with people through cyberspace, more so than in face-to-face communication. It is not just the dependency on social media that could be a problem, but, also, the way we interact with technology on a day-to-day basis. We rely on machines to direct our calls, authorize our automated bill payments, and social media dominates our online entertainment. We truly live in a world where social media dictates our personal lives and diminishes the quality of the interpersonal communication and relationships; as the anthropomorphizing of artificial computerized systems becomes all the more common, the more comfortable human beings are becoming with it. It is these tangible and visible examples of technological concerns that make Sherry Turkle absolutely correct in her argument that social media and dependence upon modern technologies are dangerous and having many negative effects on people of all ages. HISTORY It is no secret that people of today are very attached to their technological devices that allow them access to the “online life.” People spend more time engaged in social media than with actual people even when they are in the physical company of other person. The nature of communication has changed since human beings first started communicating. As people began to spread farther and farther across the world communication was far less easy, sometimes downright impossible. The post office innovated mail, the telegraph made messages faster, and finally the telephone brought people together. They encouraged human communication, where communication might not otherwise exist. Telephones and human conversation are still available today, but we are no longer comfortable or invested in them they way we once were. Today people want to socialize online, in text and type, with symbols instead of facial expressions, and abbreviations, like “lol” instead of real laughter. This is not necessarily having a positive effect on people and it is something we need to reevaluate and monitor (Chandra 1). This is exactly what Sherry Turkle is presenting in her work; social media technology is less of a tool and is becoming too much a way of life. Social media was originally intended to enhance people’s ability to interact and make connections with people all over the world; effectively broadening people’s horizons and encouraging greater diversity among its users. Unfortunately that is not always the effect that social media has. Again, social media favors the shallowest and most superficial of relationships; people are drawn to other people who think like them, share their views, and “like” the same images (Kanalley 1). This could only work to make interactive communication and the tolerance of differences even more difficult not easier.. DISCUSSION There are a number different negative side effects being considered today in relation to social media. It has damaged the meaning of the term “friend.” On social media we will generally “friend” just about anyone who agrees with our views, “likes’ our posts, or who asks us to be. A friend is someone who you generally know well, trust, and could recognize in a crowd of strangers. But most people have no idea if the person they have "friended" is actually the person they claim to be. We are not that invested in our friendships than we once were. It is very likely that social media has contributed greatly to the superficial nature of friendships today. Turkle discusses this in her work and is adamant of the connection and it would seem to be a justified comparison. This issue could result in shallow friendships based on nothing substantial. People, no longer, have real in-depth meaningful conversations online. The majority of exchanges are superficial, abbreviated, and lacking real sentiment (Chandra 1). People are becoming less open and expressive of their own feelings and becoming less sympathetic and empathetic to the feelings of others. Human beings are slowly but surely spending less and less time in direct physical company with other people. Today it is possible for individual, of any age, to attend school completely online, work online, pay bills, operate a business, and play games and even shop online without ever having to leave their home or speak to a single actual human being. More so, many people are beginning to prefer their exchanges to be with technology as opposed to other people. This is one of the most negative side effects of being caused by social media, it is literally turning people away from other people. They would rather interact with technology because technology is more efficient, more accurate, and less fallible than dealing with human beings who are often flawed and make aggravating mistakes (Chandra 1). We face a serious problem in our society if people actually start to perceive technology as better than humanity. That is the kind of dangerous thinking that Turkle is warning about. She is not alone many researchers, sociologists, and experts agree that this could become a reality if we remain on the course that we are on. Human beings are known to be, scientifically, speaking group dwellers. Human beings are not solitary creatures. We biologically and socially crave interaction from family, friends, and even foes. As people become more introverted and isolated, it can diminish creativity, healthy emotions, depression, and even negatively affect people’s medical health. This is true for a number of reasons. Firstly, long periods of time on a computer for any reason leads to a more sedentary lifestyle. That alone is not conducive to good health. The more time that people spend alone, isolated, and stationary staring at screens instead of engaging with the real world can have so many serious negative effects that it has to be addressed. It is already being seen in youths. Children today struggle greater with weight problems, in many cases, because they are not living the active lifestyles that children for generations before them did (Sawka, McCormack, and et al 1). Anthropomorphizing of computer and robotic technology into more and more human-friendly and therefore having human-like attributes is ever common. These forms make them more ingratiating and endearing (Fussel, Kiesler, and et al 1-2). Friendly feminine voices guide you through menu option, robots with arms, legs, and animated faces that express similarly to human beings, and robotic “pets” that entice children into to play with technology in the form of synthetic animals. These machines are programmed to behave and interact in a certain way and follow commands. People do not always behave that way; we do not always agree with our human friends and our “real” pets can be messy and inconvenient (Fussel, Kiesler, and et al 3). Mechanized companions do as you want them to, are not messy, and have no needs that can become inconvenient. The embracing of this sort of technology could become a very selfish and lazy substitution for human or, at least, living companionship. The more those human beings separate themselves from other human beings the less genuine and productive human interactions will become. As we stop communicating on a regular basis it will retard our ability to communicate as effectively as we have in the past. There was a time when technology was developed as tools to enhance the human experience and encourage human communication; today the technology is doing the exact opposite. Too many people are far too invested in their “cyber lives” than their actual lives, too impatient and growing more and more detached from human interaction every day (Sawka, McCormack, and et al 2-3). Finally we are becoming far too comfortable making so many daily exchanges with synthetic substitutions of people and even pets. These are all very real and viable issues and concerns that Turkle is presenting. She is not alone in her opinion; these side effects are very real. To dismiss her argument as the ranting of the anti-technological viewpoint of a luddite, those oppose to mechanization and technology, would be inappropriately short-sighted. At the same time it should also be said, in fairness, that not everyone who engages in modern technology is automatically dependent upon it and interact with the social media with the perspective that it is a tool that may, also, be incredibly helpful or entertaining in our day-to-day lives. However, they draw that line between online and offline lives and experiences. However, overall, as a society the dependence on social media and other forms of interactive technologies Is becoming far more common, especially among the youth living in this era. We need to reevaluate our relationships with technology and reform the relationship that children and youths have wit that technology (Sawka, McCormack, and et al 3-4). This will help to improve everyone’s perspective and technological behaviors. It is always about knowing the balance and not becoming carried away. Technology is not the enemy and social media is not the evil spawn of technology. Humanity needs to rewind its thinking and return to the mindset that helps inspire previous communication formats discussed, like the telegraph and telephone. It is a tool to encourage human communication, allow friendships and conversations with different kinds of people all over the world, allowing people to keep in touch with other people, never should it be used as an alternative to other people. CONCLUSION In the end it seems apparent that there is a great deal of validity to Sherry Turkle’s arguments and an ample number of experts that agree with their position. However, the intention of Turkle and others who warn of the dangers of dependency to social media technologies, becoming too comfortable with the substitution of technology over people, and the general damage it can do to people mentally and physically is a serious consideration that needs greater research and greater efforts to encourage healthier relationships with all technology. This argument is not about hate, fearing, or dismissing the value of technology in the modern world and it is not about undermining technology of all kinds. What it is about is being responsible with technology, relying upon it without depending upon it, and remembering it is a tool to be used to better the human experience never to diminish it. That is what must be acknowledged and further addressed. We must use the power of technology wisely so that we remain in control of it and not vice versa. WORK CITED Chandra, Ravi. "The Internet Makes You Stupid and Shallow." Psychology Today. 17 September 2012: 1. Web. 2 May. 2014. . Fussel, Susan R., Sara Kiesler, et al. "How People Anthropomorphize Robots." Human Computer Interaction Institute. (2008): 1-8. Print. Kanalley, Craig. "The Problem With the Media's Social Media Addiction." Huffington Post 8 October 2012, 1. Web. 2 May. 2014. . Sawka, Keri Jo, Gavin R. McCormack, et al. "REVIEW Open Access Friendship networks and physical activity and sedentary behavior among youth: a systematized review." International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 10.130 (2013): 1-9. Web. . Read More