Digital Dualism
I came across this New York Times opinion piece on digital
dualism by Sherry Turkle. In her opinion, there are some negative
potentialities that come with the heavy growth of social media. She expressed
that technologies can sometimes enable anti-social behavior. She believes that
these technologies may be replacing real conversations with “shallower,
dumbed-down connections that give us a false sense of security”. Her idea is
that people present themselves in a certain manner online that is not authentic
– she thinks that most people create online identities that often exaggerate
their better qualities and cover up their faults. We are using this technology
to control the type of conversations we are having with a self-selected
audience, and we are dedicating a lot of our attention to this rather than the
real world around us. She claims that this is creating a false consciousness that
will inevitably create ‘sociotechnical dopes’. She states that “we used to
think, ‘I have a feeling; I want to make a call.’ Now our impulse is, ‘I want
to have a feeling; I need to make a post’”. The general idea is that we are
creating an unhealthy relationship with these technologies and moving away from
real conversations and more toward superficial connections. What do you all
think about this? Does Ms. Turkle’s argument hold any water? Should we
differentiate our virtual selves from our physical selves?
I think she referred to some people who are obsessed with social media. Such people indulge themselves in the virtual world they created and don't wanna get out. Lots of people use social media tools for personal purposes, like getting a certain number of likes or followers. What we want to explore is the positive side, I guess. How to utilize these tools for professional purposes, like learning and collaboration. Honestly, professional purposes are not that interesting to many people. That is why we want to find ways to engage them in learning via social media platforms.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the first piece you posted, the critique from Cyborgology (it presents many of my thoughts about Turkle's work, but more cogently than I might state it off the top of my head). I really believe that social media augments our world, and often amplifies the signal, but the notion that I present my "best self" on Facebook, for example, doesn't hold for everyone. (I know a lot of Facebook self-shamers, for example.) True, it's just a window onto someone's world, limited in what is shared, but you could say the same of seeing someone at a social gathering where they're dressed up and putting their best foot forward. Or holiday cards/letters. Or any other social forum/outlet that people have.
ReplyDeleteI don't feel that the presence of social media cuts down on the number of deep relationships and conversations that I have. Rather, I think it increases the number of social interactions -- likely light ones -- that I have. An increase in one type does not necessitate a decrease in the other.
I've heard various people suggest that they do get the "keeping up with the Joneses" feeling from being on Facebook, and for those people I'd recommend maybe decreasing time in that environment. It's not for everyone. But I never get that feeling. I love seeing the successes of people in my network, I enjoy vicariously experiencing their joy at a new baby or a new house. Conversely, I appreciate the ability to reach out in support toward people known not all that well during their time of need.
The research that I've been doing with teens and social media recently suggests -- strongly -- that we are making a mistake if we try to reduce users down to a stereotype (which in effect is what Turkle does -- I say this based on having read her work in the past, as well).
Piggy-backing on the list of positives shared by Vanessa, I must say I've seen a huge benefit of social media in my life for reasons that may differ from others. Since the time I was in high school, I've lived in 4 different cities and 3 states. I've attended 4 colleges and worked for 6 different schools. I've been a lot of places and met many different people. While I don't "friend" every single person I meet in real life, there are some with whom I like to keep a casual, social media relationship.
ReplyDeleteI think most people have different friends at different times of their lives for different reasons, and given whatever path I was on at the time, I've been closer to some people than others. I really like that, unlike pre-social media days, I don't have to lose track of all these people and can even rekindle some friendships.