Sherry Turkle's Ted talk, "Connected But Alone" is a relatable speech on the multitude of changes we have faced with social media. The argument she poses is this, "What happened to conversation?". Conversation is something we as humans have been doing since we've learned how to talk. Social media connects us even more as humans, to connect farther than we can touch. Sherry Turkle's argument, "we would rather text, than talk" resonated with me as an introvert. I would much rather text than have a conversation. I can edit my responses, I can reply on my time rather than instantaneously. Although this may seem like a great thing, it has hurt our communication strategies. We don't know how to have deep conversations anymore. Instead, we take snapshots to prove our social outings, and sit there in silence. We have been aware of this, and how do we plan on solving it? Do we leave our phones at home? Do we delete all social medias? Or, can we relearn social media, and utilize it in a way that connects us more. We must learn how to have conversation again, or we risk losing a human need, connection.
A photo project on taking photos of my boyfriends project, a 240 coupe named Meredith. When I'm not at school or hanging at home, you can find me here sitting in the corner drawing or bugging Austin to change the song on Spotify. My essay gives an up close look at the community Austin's apart of. A community that's familiar with the blood, sweat, and tears for a little backward fun. View my photo essay here!
It's interesting hearing the perspective of an introvert on this since I'm very extroverted. Since text messages are one of your preferred mediums for communication, are there any strategies you use in order to make sure you don't lose some of the depth in text-based conversations?
ReplyDeleteI think we could probably learn a lot from looking at our social media use with an outsider's perspective and reassessing how we want to use these tools. I'm very guilty of boredom-scrolling or procrasti-scrolling through Facebook and Instagram and am planning on seeing how a week of no social media on my phone goes, so I guess I'll find out about deleting social media!
I grew up with not a lot of influence of technology (no tv, no cell phone till i was 15)so I resorted to a lot of books. Reading growing up really helped me in my communication struggles being an introvert, and the connections I could make helped me come out of my shell. As for technology, I try to use it as a starter for conversation instead of keeping it to myself. So if I choose to scroll, I'll talk to a friend or my partner what I'm looking at so it's not a total cut off from human interaction.
DeleteSuper true! I find myself being so engrossed by my phone that I can miss important events happening around me. My friends and I have found it great to do "no phone" nights. This has been incredibly great because we don't look at it as being forced to hang out and talk but as a great way to not be distracted and present!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! I tend to use my phone as an escape when I feel awkward or uncomfortable. It seems second nature to pull out my phone when on a bus, standing in line, or before a class, even if I have no reason to. I have started making a conscious effort to leave my phone in my bag, or in my room when I don't need it and instead push myself to talk to those around me, who are often much more interesting then whats on facebook! I still struggle with this as a fairly extroverted person so I bet as an introvert it is even more challenging to let go of that safety net a phone provides.
ReplyDeleteYou are right! We do need to relearn the way we communicate. Personally, I prefer face to face communication but I agree that texting is a lot easier and a lot faster.
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