SOC 101 mod 3 critical thinking opt2

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Jan 9, 2024

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1 Option #2: Are We Alone Together? Luis Ruiz Colorado State University Global SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology Lett, Tamika Ph.D. January 8, 2023

2 Introduction We are currently residing in a world that is always moving forward rapidly. There is evidence of technological advancement in every direction we look. The number of technological advances constantly being made is virtually endless: from smartphones to smartwatches, from Facebook to Twitter, from texting to Facetime, and from online dating sites to even ordering groceries online. The influence of technology can be seen in every facet of our lives. When the internet was first invented thirty years ago, we couldn't fathom how interconnected our lives would eventually become with those of the people and places around us. Even though we are always connected, the way we communicate has been significantly altered by technology, which has led to a significant gap between the people most important to us in our lives and us. Alone Together Everyone has had the experience of being in a room full of people where no one is communicating with one another. Instead, everyone is engrossed in their electronic gadget, either checking their email, texting a friend, or scrolling through their social media accounts. Even though everyone is there, they are not emotionally there for one another even though they are all there physically. According to Turkle, it is even happening at funerals. It occurs in the family, job, and school (Turkle, 2012). We want to be able to personalize our lives in such a way that we have control over where we focus our attention, even if doing so requires us to immerse ourselves in our electronic devices to the extent that we become mentally and emotionally detached from the events that are taking place in our actual presence. We are now allowing ourselves to discover how we relate to other people and how we relate to ourselves by doing so (Turkle, 2012). Hidden from One Another

3 Instead, we are keeping our distance from one another. We want to have the ability to select when we interact with other people, and we want that interaction to take place at a distance. We feel uncomfortable with closeness to others. This phenomenon is what Turkle refers to as the "Goldilocks Effect" (Turkle, 2012). We don't want people to be too close, so we are constantly interrupted, but we also don't want them to be too far away to be alone. We want them to be within a comfortable distance. Our goal is to maintain command of all of our relationships. When having face-to-face conversations with other people, many discover that they cannot control what they will say, which can be problematic (Turkle, 2012). We can edit, erase, and retouch our words, voices, and bodies by utilizing social media and the technology at our disposal. All of these factors make it possible for us to present ourselves in the manner we would like to be regarded. Unfortunately, all we get in return for sacrificing dialogue is a simple connection with the people around us. These forms of electronic communication, such as SMS, tweets, and emails, prevent us from becoming familiar with one another on a more personal level. As a result, children grow up without the ability to interact socially with their contemporaries or converse effectively. Anxiety disorders, the second most common kind of psychological illness recorded in young adults, are plaguing an increasing number of people as a direct result of the decline in social connection and discourse (Vannucci, Flannery, Ohannessian, 2017). Those who struggle with anxiety might enhance their isolation through social media, enabling them to adopt avoidant coping methods (Penn State, 2018). Does Anyone Here Me? Some people use social media and their electronic devices to avoid facing reality, while others do so to attract attention. This separates us from the people around us, which results in a sensation

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4 of isolation. When technology dictates to individuals around us in front of them, we have the impression that no one is listening to what we have to say. The children are pleading with their parents to pay them some attention. When one partner in a relationship is socially estranged from the other and doesn't provide the level of closeness that the other person in the relationship requires, the other partner will look for attention in other places. As a result, we have higher expectations of our electronic devices and lower expectations of one another (Turkle, 2012). We are more likely to turn to our electronic devices for companionship when the people around us cannot provide what we require (Turkle, 2012). Turkle thinks our technologies give us access to three different "gratifying dreams." First, we are free to direct our focus in any direction. Two, our voices will never go unheard. And third, we won't ever have to worry about being alone again. We have a deep need to be connected. When we don't feel connected, we don't feel like ourselves. We increasingly turn to our electronic devices to feel less nervous and more "alive." Our sense of identity has become more unstable as a direct result of the proliferation of social media. We are terrified of being alone, whether with others or just with ourselves. Conclusion: We Need to Talk More! Although technology and social media have made it possible for us to maintain connections with physically distant people, they have also made it more difficult for us to maintain healthy relationships with those who are physically close to us and with ourselves. We need to make our homes and places of work into holy places where people can have meaningful exchanges with one another. We require time alone, away from all of our electronic gadgets. In these times alone, we can rediscover who we are and regain the connection we need with individuals in our immediate environment. If we do not educate our children on how to occupy

5 their own company (without the aid of electronic devices), then all they will learn is how to be lonely.

6 References Penn State. (2018). Social Media: Are We Really Socializing? Retrieved from, https://sites.psu.edu/aspsy/2018/02/07/are-we-really-socializing/ Turkle, S. (2012). Connected, but alone? [Video File]. Retrieved from, https://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together/transcript Vannucci, A., Flannery, K. M., & Ohannessian, C. M. (2017). Social media use and anxiety in emerging adults. Journal of Affective Disorders , 207 , 163-166

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