Technology Overload

Sherry Turkle discusses the need for our generations now to feel connected, to always be in contact whether that be via text message, email, FaceBook, phone call or face to face interaction. We are consumed by technology to the point where we now have developed the kind of thing where: “I have a feeling. I want to tell somebody about it.” Many people experience this when they share a FaceBook status update, or send their friends a funny text regarding their day. Turkle argues in her NPR interview that we need to know when it is appropriate to act on these impulses. At the dinner table for instance. Turkle argues that the dinner table is a sort of sacred place where respect needs to be shown and phones need to be off limits. She alludes to people who text and drive, text while at funerals, even people who text while breast feeding! She goes on to say that this type of thing, technology addiction really won’t get any worse. She justifies that by saying that we are now conscious of our behaviors and that we aren’t happy while we text on the road, rather we are learning the role that these technologies play and the contexts for us to use them will become more defined. That’s the way I read it anyway. She really does have a point, I recall one time when my aunt, a generally fun loving aunt told me to quit texting during a holiday meal. This led to a conversation about the fact that while it is rude for me to ignore them it is just as rude to ignore the person on the other side of the phone. I was obviously alone in my opinion, however months later my parents got text friendly phones and surprisingly agreed with me. The saturation of communication friendly technologies have really influenced the place and time deemed appropriate in our society and over time those times and places may change, so long as we keep it away from the dinner table.

Posted by: Mike Anderson