Sherry Turkle’s “Can You Hear Me Now”

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Outline

This is an argumentative essay in ‘They Say/ I Say’ evaluating the points raised by the sociologist Sherry Turkle in one of her essays named “Can You Hear Me Now”. The author observes how people are increasingly being dependant on technology and electronic equipment to stay connected with their colleagues, friends, and family. This overdependence on technology is making us more isolated from each other and more disconnected from the real world, according to the author. This essay attempts to critically analyze some of her points and offer some personal interpretations and comments.

‘Can You Hear Me Now’ is an essay written by Sherry Turkle, who’s a professor of social studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a sociologist as well? In 2007, Forbes magazine had published this essay. In the essay, Sherry Turkle has observed the irony of technological advancement in today’s generation. She argues that although technology has allowed people to be more connected with each other than ever before, it has also contributed to making people more isolated from each other. She goes on to state that people have become so reliant on technological gadgets, that one’s self–identity has got entwined with the virtual world.

Virtually all people around the world have used mobile phones and computers at some point in their lives. While some are not over-dependant on technological gadgets such as a Blackberry, many are. In one of the conferences she attended in Japan, the author observed how engrossed the attendees of the conference were with their laptops and PDA’s. I partially agree that people in conferences nowadays are less attentive to what is being discussed. In some of the business conferences I have attended, I’ve seen people reading SMS’s and responding to them, without paying much heed to what is going on around them.

The author argues how the internet has helped in creating a new virtual identity for people since the 1990s. The internet allows a person to make money, find a partner, live virtual lives by creating ‘Avatars’ of oneself in online multiplayer games, and basically live life with minimum social interaction. Although I agree that this is a growing trend among several people, I don’t completely agree that it’s easier to create bonds in the virtual or online world than in the real world. While some people like to be intimate with a person online, others would still prefer to have a close friend in the real world, rather than in the online world.

She goes on to say how certain gadgets like the Blackberry smartphone have become addictive to the user. The conventional routines that a person should follow go haywire as a consequence of incessant Blackberry usage. She complains how the demands of having one’s online identity adversely affect his or her real identity. The author is absolutely right on this count, as I from my personal experience have seen how PDAs can disrupt a person’s social interactions in the real world.

Sherry Turkle goes on to say that people today have become chained to technology (Turkle 55). Hence; their identity and their well-being depend on the well-being of their laptops or personal computers. She feels that the teenagers of today have a very different lifestyle than teenagers had in earlier generations. The influence of technology makes them more dependent at a time when they were supposed to feel the initial fear and thrill of being independent. I couldn’t agree more with the author on this point. These days, I’ve seen how young children aren’t allowed to step out of their homes without a mobile phone. Even if they are going to a shop nearby, their parents are always keeping a tab.

The issue of online identity is emphasized too by the author. She states that people often go overboard to create and maintain their online personality, whether it is updating their Facebook profile or their MySpace photographs. I agree to a certain extent with what she says, but this is not the case with all people who are internet savvy. Some people are obsessed with online identity and social networking websites, but there are a considerable number of people who do not spend hours building social networks on the internet, even if they do have access to a 24-hour internet connection.

She says many people suffer from split attention in this technological dependant society as well. People are now crossing the streets with mobile phones in their hands. People still drive a car while talking on their phones with the help of Bluetooth hands-free ear sets. I endorse her views on the issue of split attention. I’ve seen accidents happen when a driver talks on the phone and drives simultaneously. I’ve talked to receptionists who do not answer your queries because they are busy on another call. I’ve seen moviegoers not watching the film because they are busy talking on their mobiles. Examples such as these abound in today’s world.

The author also believes that technology has got us into a dilemma. We now need to choose if we want to hold on to our conventional morals and humanity or if we want to embrace technology and robotics which make us feel good, at the expense of what is morally right. She cites a poignant example in which she states how certain people expressed their dismay when Sea World in Orlando threw open its gates. They probably didn’t like the authentic and live animals as much as they loved the jaunty antics of their animatronics counterpart in Disneyworld.

These conclusions by the author add more weight to her argument that technology is alienating people as much as it is connecting people. Although I agree with her conclusions to a great extent, I don’t share the same amount of pessimism with technology as the author has. After all, technology and robotics are created for our convenience and if we are intelligent enough as a species to create such brilliant technologies, we will be intelligent to put an end to them, if we realize that such technology is being detrimental to our morals and our future.

Works Cited

Turkle, Sherry. Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet.

New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997. Print.

Click Here To Order Now!

Sherry Turkle’s “Can You Hear Me Now”

Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?

We have qualified writers to help you.

We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.

You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)