Two Birds of a Feather are Alone Together

In Alone Together: Always On, Turkle teaches us that we are like cyborgs, moving in and out of the virtual worlds through modern technology. As a consequence, our presence does not necessarily mean we are present. Hopefully, I didn’t lose you yet. It means when we are texting on our phones- we may be presently sitting in a bus- but our focus on the ride home shifts into the text conversation, making our presence absent, in a sense. Our physical bodies are present, but we are absent because we are living in the moment in a virtual world...

So much so that we may see each other as objects to be accessed because a lot of our sense of community is coming from the Internet. We sign in to get our social dose, and when we sign out we feel alone. When we are not connected, we feel alone. “Moments of more may leave us with lives of less.” –Turkle. Going to people for reasons of comfort, amusement, and usefulness sounds a lot like using someone, and it may be. It’s that idea that I’m sad, so I need to insert friend here to be happy or I’m lonely so insert company here to feel less lonely. I wonder if as rapidly the technology is growing, there is a parallel increase of “using” people. That study would probably be awkward to conduct. (Then again, awkward is what you make it!) Later on in this chapter, Turkle writes about how people are becoming less like individuals in the eyes of others and more as a unit, part of a larger thing. Friends are like fans, and I can relate. Even as we receive notifications on our social networking sites, we adore those who let those red flags come up, almost like they are fans of ours. Even when we e-mail, our responses feel like a task waiting to be completed rather than personal letters from friends. The more we submerge ourselves into all this technology, it seems the more we begin to lose certain things, like the idea of friends.

In one section, Turkle writes about the pull the Internet has on us. It teaches us to depend on it, to want it. In many ways, the Internet allows us to “fall in love with people and ideas.” The problem is, after you fall in, you fall out. The bonus is that adolescents who take advantage of this have a time where there is, what Turkle describes as, relatively no consequence. This is a free space. A space where kids can learn almost anything and expand their identity, play games and communicate with others. It is almost a burden though, we are finding out. The pressure to keep up with texts, e-mails, and social networking is overwhelming for adolescents. 

I am a nanny that cares for two children, 7 and 11, and the story is no different. The 7 year old, Miss R, is in first grade and already learning how to be drawn to her Kindle, TV, and the internet. The 11 year old is more of an extreme case in comparison. He checks and responds to texts every 2 minutes during homework. He complains that his homework takes too long to complete, and I agree. It would take me forever if I were to be continuously texting. I took his phone so he could concentrate, but after it started buzzing in my hand, he looked up irritated, looked back down to continue working, his fingers tapped irritatedly, and I heard him groan an Ugh. The thing is, he let me take his phone-no problem. He seemed relieved, but once I had it, I could see the urgency to write back. I told him it was going to be okay, he only had a few more problems to do. Once he completed it, he nearly jumped over the table to reach for his phone. It was desperate, kind of pathetic, and sad. Strangely, I am no different.

The two children often complain because Mom is always on her cell phone, even when she is driving. They say she texts all the time when she drives (which they dislike) and also takes time away that she could use to speak with them. She is a great mother and cares for her children a lot. Her job, however, requires her to be linked in a lot of the time. From conference calls to e-mails, she is busy. The children do not understand fully that when she is working at home through her mobile devices and laptop, they will not receive her attention because she is technically working (along with online shopping for them and the family). The problem is, the workday for her ends grayly. It is not the hours, but her responses and opinions about things that matter in her career, so her work day is constantly moving, and it is hard to have distinct times where she can be "off." You can see how confusing this can be to the kids. The kids are always wanting to come into her room when she is connected, but I have to make sure they understand Mom is working, and although she is 'here' technically she is absent. After all is said and done, it is not that she is being commited to the family (like I said, great mother!), it's just that her job demands technological savvy and commitment to keep up with. As a consequence, the family lifestyle is changing because the virtual world is demanding (in different ways, like in careers) that can only be dealt with online.

The Drama of the Text Message

The urgency to respond to texts is due to the speed of communication. On the flip side of this, we get irritated when we are not responded back just as quickly as we send them out. So many of us think or know there is a problem when we text someone who doesn't respond back in 3 minutes. If they are writing to a significant other, we assume they are uninterested or annoyed at us, when in actuality, they could be busy in their own technological world. Instead, we worry and feel hurt until BAM!- our phones buzz with a response or our e-mails tell us we've received more mail, or a chat glows a red flag. Then, we are more than just happy we got a response, we are satisfied-- until we write back and the anticipation and impatience begins again. 

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The World Within the World

After reading the Nayar's Cyberculture introduction, I thought, "Yeah..."

Really, after reading this, I found something interesting. It seems that Nayar may be on to something. He wrote about how we are in a way shifting the weight of importance from our bodily forms to our mental ones. And it seems true. We may spend more time in the virtual world- keeping up with our virtual spaces, making sure they appear cool, fun, interesting,... whatever- to alter the way people think about us, to present our better versions of ourselves, and whatever else, but we are spending MORE time presenting and perfecting our profiles, for instance, and less time paying attention to our physical appearance than ever before. Is the more time we spend in cyberland, the less time we are spending in our own realities?

This may sound like a negative thing, but maybe we are all just coming to an implied executive decision on what's more important now, brain power or physical attractiveness, internet savvy or fashion savvy. If it's true, the mind is starting to take the lead.

Some critics see it backwards. The writers of Wall-E have criticized their version of the new future. In their world, people are happy sitting, sipping, and participating in what seems to be their cartoon version of the cyberworld. These characters are so consumed in consumerist individualization that they forget they are living outside of this cyberworld. Towards the end, however, when Wall-E interferes with a woman's connection, he fears her reaction when in fact, she seems pleased to be aware of her surroundings and expresses happiness and surprise. Oh, critics.

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Critics fear a disconnect to the real world because we've been spending a lot of time in the virtual world, but something I don't think they see is how it is not a separate world at all. It is a world inside a world, both connected and intertwined. Where people spend time reading newspapers for news, they are scrolling through online articles. Same distraction, but a more convenient medium. If it wasn't for that, how could teachers be fired for posting a picture of them drinking alcohol on a social networking site (bad example), or how is it that most job applications are only accepted online?


So to answer the first question I posed at the beginning, we may be spending a lot more time online, but most of our time is tied into the real world. When presented with a black and white version of this reality and slanted with a critical viewpoint, we leave out all of the causes we fight for, all the convenience, and all the fun.  Thanks for reading!

Hi, this is my first blog (ever). don't judge me.

Hello classmates, friends, strangers. Whoever you are and for whatever reason brought you to this page, I'd like to say, "Welcome to my thoughts in my words- Kind to have you here!" For the purpose of my blog, I decided to create a pen name. Usually, writers do this discreetly- to be mysterious or whatever, but I will lie openly. I am Suzanne D. Coldfeather. If you think Coldfeather sounds tacky or native american-like, you’re not alone. I "exaggerated the truth" about creating it too. The name was derived from a pen name generator. One of the many advantages of the Internet is that there are several random yet helpful websites that provide useful services like pen name generators. The Internet has done more than provide pen name generators though; it has influenced a cornucopia of technologies. For the purpose of this blog, my premier entry will focus on the digital culture, that is, the age in which the cornucopia of technologies have become embraced and intertwined into our everyday culture.

Soooooooo...... let's do this...... (insert enthusiasm here)

First, I will begin with an explanation about our world -now- as it applies to digital culture. We live in an information age, where information is easier to access, freer to gain, and quicker to transfer. Just about everybody wants to be a part of it too.  As I sit at a coffee shop eating a polyploid banana, I look to my left. There is a girl typing away on her computer. A man to my right is texting on his I phone, two children across from me are playing on mommy's IPad. I look down and jump into my current role in the information age to write this blog. Where once coffee customers were flipping through pages of books, they are now scrolling through their Kindles. Welcome to the digital culture.

 

In my life, the digital culture is limited to a few hours of social networking, researching news and watching entertaining videos on Youtube. Yes, I am a laggard when it comes to smart phones and Ipads, Ipods and MP3s. Maybe if I had more cash and the new version of yesterday’s model didn’t come out in a couple of days, I would keep up with it better.

 

Social networking has taken a life of its own in the past decade. I'm addicted. He's addicted. She's addicted. It seems like everyone around the world can't get enough. So what, right? Well, a lot of good has come out of addicting social networks i.e. Facebook. Revolutions in the Middle East may not have ever happened (if people weren't so addicted!!) no, if it wasn't so easy to share thoughts, arrange revolts, and come together to overthrow unfair dictatorships. But citizens aren't the only ones aware of this "social networking power." Leaders, like the UK Prime Minister or the Algerian government, have tried shutting down networking sites all together. I am found lingering with the cliché 'knowledge is power' in my mind. It ignites when free information flows, and hundreds of thousands of people get to access it easily. Suddenly, the power shifts from a corrupt authoritative government to its once oppressed citizens. 

Sure revolutions sound exciting, but that’s not the only reason people get involved in digital technology. Music and entertainment have become inexpensive, reasonably priced, and many times, free! With all of this fun at everyone's fingertips, it’s hard to resist. Everyone is finding their own ways to contribute, i.e. blogging, vlogging, social networking... etc. We are realizing now more than ever that we are all more alike than we are different. We laugh at the same viral videos. We create groups to fight for causes we believe in. We give each other advice in forums. We insult and compliment each other in comments on Youtube. We communicate with each other a lot more, and we are finally beginning to understand one another in ways we never have before. So really, in many ways- despite what critics may say- the digital age is bringing us together.

In the digital culture, we share ideas and information to inform or entertain or both! Some of it’s garbage, yes. Some of it’s funny, yes. Some of it’s clever, sure. It’s garbage, it’s treasure, it’s funny, it’s clever, it’s convenient, it’s stupid, it’s fun, it’s strange, it's everything and THAT is why it’s awesome! Digital technologies are free to be anything and free to be used in any way. Facebook helps us keep in touch with those we love, stalk the ones we like, and accept those we do not know in a ultimate search to maybe make human connections, to feel less lonely, to be a part of something big, to understand each other, to learn from one another. Maybe it’s just a way we relate our lives to gain new perspectives. So if it's our need to be informed, entertained, or our need to be part of something greater than ourselves, whatever its appeal, it is addicting and thrilling and here to stay. Thanks for reading!

 pen name generator :)