I know I harp about this a lot, but it can't hurt to mention it again.
Sherry Turkle's article "The Flight from Conversation," addresses the current tech-life, and how that turns us into more self-absorbed beings.
We have gotten used to the idea of being in a tribe of one, loyal to our own party.
By using media as our middleman, we have lost the ability to interact face-to-face.
A 16-year-old boy who relies on texting for almost everything says almost wistfully, “Someday, someday, but certainly not now, I’d like to learn how to have a conversation.”
Phones and computers give us the choice to interact exactly, perfectly, the amount we wish to. But that's not how real life works.
One day I was in a restaurant (not something I do often) and in walked two women, and I guess they were together since they sat at the same table. They flung themselves into chairs opposite each other and furiously peered at their phones. They didn't smile. Barely glancing up, they mentioned something to each other from time to time, then frowningly continued tapping.
One day I was in a restaurant (not something I do often) and in walked two women, and I guess they were together since they sat at the same table. They flung themselves into chairs opposite each other and furiously peered at their phones. They didn't smile. Barely glancing up, they mentioned something to each other from time to time, then frowningly continued tapping.
This video has already made itself known, but I can't get enough of it.
I thought I could paraphrase bits and pieces of this article, but it truly must be read in its entirety. Please do. Then talk to someone, while making eye contact, about it.
I thought I could paraphrase bits and pieces of this article, but it truly must be read in its entirety. Please do. Then talk to someone, while making eye contact, about it.
3 comments:
So sad, really.
I recently spent a day with a friend. When she wasn't speaking on the phone or texting, she was checking for messages.
So annoying. Can't you turn all of it off for 2 hours?
To me, it's an insult. However, maybe I'm the one that's not up on phone etiquette yet.
I agree!
Maybe because I got a phone later than most, but I love hanging out and shmoozing with friends.
Tovah: I would say we just don't know how to live in the moment. Then when she gets home, she'll put down her phone and feel like a conversation but now you aren't there.
I am here. Now. But I'm leaving soon, and the same way I am giving you my focused self, you could do the same for me.
Sparrow: Media connections are not the same as face-to-face. Texting is not socializing. Anyone who says otherwise is kidding themselves.
Post a Comment