Thursday, February 18, 2016

Unit 1 Reflection 2/18/16

Unit 1 Reflection
            The world around us is changing. People are becoming more connected than ever through the use of the World Wide Web and modern technology. Cell phones have been transformed into Smart phones allowing the user to be connected online within the palm of their hand. This increase in technology is seemingly having a negative social impact on society, especially within the teens and children of this modern world. Technology and modern social media have changed the way individuals communicate with each other. Additionally, it has alter the way teens perceive them self, including how the gain insight on their own personal self-identity.
            Sherry Turkle, in her article The Flight From Conversation, states, “We’ve become accustomed to a new way of being “alone together.” Technology-enabled, we are able to be with one another, and also elsewhere, connected to wherever we want to be.” Turkle is introducing the concept of social isolation. Teens nowadays are more interested in their social connections rather than the connections and relationships the make physically. An example of this is how an individual may have 500 friends on Facebook, however how well do they really know each one of them. People use online social media to create a persona of popularity, when in reality it is really just they are sitting behind a computer screen. This is what Turkle means by “alone together” we may feel that we are connected to many different individuals online, however we are really truly alone. Turkle is also hitting on the idea that technology ,and its ability to connect everyone within the palm of their hands, is actually reducing the amount of physical interactions individuals have with each other. People may all be in the same room, however, they all are all on their phones interacting and connecting with people on many popular social media sites such as Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook.           

            Additionally, social media and modern technology has altered the way youth and teens develop self-awareness.

1 comment:

  1. I like the articles you chose and the direction you chose to take them. We often try to analyze how technology is changing society as a whole, but sometimes forget to look at how it is changing people on an individual level. my only negative thought is that there could have been a little more variety in the sources you chose; they all seem pretty similar, but that's only a minor complaint.

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