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  • Essay / Sherry Turkle's perspective on the importance of technology in communication, as described in her book, Alone Together

    Wireless EntanglementAs technology continues to advance at a seemingly faster pace than ever before, we might think it would be difficult to keep pace with the pace of new innovations. Quite the opposite is true, as technology itself makes it easier than ever to adapt to change. In her book Alone Together, Sherry Turkle argues that the interactive technology we have been introduced to in recent times allows us to communicate with others beyond physical and natural means. The importance of social media, as well as smartphones that allow constant access to it, are factors that she says have created a parallel digital world, in which identity can be distorted. As a result, digital interaction can have significant consequences on a person's well-being. According to Turkle, when one indulges in the instantaneous and easily accessible components of digital interaction, one develops a dependence on this world for one's own security. Insecurity would threaten a person's perceived identity. I share Turkle’s concerns about how the digital world can threaten our true selves. The high level of freedom we have through digital interaction makes us tend to exploit it to our advantage in every way possible. Simultaneously, we become dependent on its use, allowing it to facilitate our mental well-being. With instant transmission comes the desire for instant gratification; constant accessibility leads to a lack of privacy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Long before smartphones and the internet, there was always a social element that affected what we would do and how we perceived ourselves. This element has always been limited to the physical situation a person found themselves in, the people who physically surrounded them and with whom they interacted directly. There seemed to be an organic balance between public and private presence. No one could ever commit suicide in their private life, which seems to be encouraged in modern social media. The social media narrative invites us to broadcast every moment of our lives to our peers, as if everything we say or feel is a unique talent in need of public approval and admiration. Validating our feelings is what establishes them (Turkle 162). On the other hand, since we are constantly accessing the thoughts or moments of our peers, we are always thinking about what others are doing, versus what we ourselves are doing. In the past, this mindset was limited to face-to-face interactions with people and was based solely on what the person we were talking to wanted to share with us. Today, our thoughts are much more tyrannical, based on what we easily see on the web versus what we sparingly hear in person. The unique property of digital interaction is that we may be led to confuse the nature of the technology with the nature of the person. we use technology to interact with it. This is very typical of young adults and adolescents. Turkle describes a teenage girl who associates her emotions with text messaging with her friends. As soon as she sends a text message to a friend, a small spike of anxiety forms, multiplying over time without a response from her friends (Turkle 161). Instant transmission of text messages assures the girl that her friend received the message immediately, leading her to expect that her friend.