Journal #5

In the article, Can you Hear Me Now? by Sherry Turkle, the negative aspects of technology are laid out. Sherry Turkle bluntly shows that we have become a culture of always-on, meaning that people are unable to turn off their technological devices even when we need quiet time to think. Turkle breaks down what she thinks is the five most negative aspects that keep people connected to their technological devices and disconnected from reality. They are: the creation of fake virtual selves, loss of time to make time for self concentration, adolescents who lack enough decision making autonomy, lack of public privacy, and lack of focus on one activity or person. The most striking portion of the article is the author’s interpretation of “the tethered adolescent.” The author speaks of parents feeling as if there is some sort of safety net in giving their child a cell phone. They always know how to get a hold of them and where they are but the problem with tethering their child to a cell for is the child’s loss of autonomy. I believe there is more to it than that. Not only does the child loose autonomy in life choices which mark their ability to accept decisions and their consequences but the child also is developing a dependency on technology that does not necessarily need to be part of their growth process. More on the issue of adolescences and technology is, they see their parent is plugged in: always on the phone, texting or on the computer and they learn that this is the proper behavior. After all, children mirror their parents. They adapt many of the parents aspects and being plugged in is one of them. We are developing a culture where people are les relying on their own ingenuity and more on an electronics.

How do we establish an equilibrium between technical realities and face to face realities?
There is no black or white answer to this question. It is important to educate our public on the positives and negatives of the “always-on culture” so they can adapt a personal working relationship between the two realities.

How should teachers handle adolescents and their increased use of cell phones in schools and their classrooms?
I don’t think that it should be the teacher’s choice to ban cell phones from the classroom but to require that they are kept out of reach (perhaps placed on the desk where the teacher can observe them)while students are in the classroom, so as to prevent playing on cell phones during class hours.