I am blogging about the book Alone Together written by Sherry Turkle. We are on chapter 10, titled no need to call.
Has technology caused people to be more introverted? Are shy people even more shy because technology has inhibited them to branch out and develop social skills? Turkle makes a very interesting point when she talks about shy people only opening up to a screen... I am trying to place myself in a reserved/introverted person's shoes. Do they feel more confident because no one can look them in the eye? They do not have to see the other person's reaction? Why does an electronic unlock that personal connection where one can let go? I have often wondered if many people do not make the connection that people are on the other end reading what the are writing.


She also mentions that electronic messaging allows people to take their time in responding. They can edit their message without the humiliation of someone critiquing their thought process. A screen allows one to "reflect, retype, and edit." If only someone saw me typing and deleting everything I was wanting to say to my boyfriend when we are having an argument. Lately, I have really been struggling with the thought that I need technology to communicate. For example when I am trying to tell someone something, I do better typing it out in a text than saying it. It gives me a second to process what I am feeling and how to word it to where it makes sense.

Picking up the telephone is something that is not done very often. Instant messaging, Facebook, text messaging, and e-mailing have all taken the place of verbally speaking to someone. I do often feel like a phone call is in a way of demanding something from someone. Nowadays if you receive a call you may think someone needs to ask you for something or its an emergency. I also, feel as if people are so busy that they do not have time to talk to me and me wanting to chat for a bit is inconsiderate. Making a phone call can be intimidating, a text is so much simpler. Other than making phone calls, no one ever writes a hand written thank you card anymore. People will not send a text or write on one's Facebook. Why are we so impersonal these days? Why is technology crippling us in a way of being social and polite?

I have truly tried to make an effort in picking up the phone and calling my friends to check on them and see how they are. To be honest the first few times were slightly awkward because many of my friends were not use to receiving a call. Also, many of my friends struggle to carry on a natural conversation without being noticeably uncomfortable. Sometimes when I call my friends and they do not answer, I will leave a voicemail. I will not hear back from them for days but I will get a text saying, "Im so sorry I have not called, I have been so busy. Please forgive me?" If I miss someone's call, I feel pressured to call them back within the next day... Where does the pressure to call someone back come from? Why are phone calls a nuisance when the main thought is just to check on you and catch up?

The little girl Audrey she writes about describes how she has a lot of fun putting fake information up and stepping outside herself. This allows her to talk to people in other countries and say things she usually would not.  Why would a sixteen year old feel as if they need attention from strangers that live across seas? If a child does not receive the attention it needs, it will look to other places for it. Why the internet that is impersonal and then will connect you to impersonal people? Turkle does describe how her trip to Europe allowed her to leave her identity behind. She was able to step out and be anything she wanted without risking her reputation. Technology allows you do this every day without making a trip across the world. You do not have to leave "your world" any more.


Is there a time that people ever turn their technology off? Do people enjoy the continual connection and "being on call?" Turkle speaks of a wife who carried he Blackberry wherever she went. Even hiking she had her phone on the hip. Her husband made continuous call to check in and when she hit a point of no cell service, she was relieved to be left alone temporary. Is this a feeling that is popular in todays society? Do we like to have a break but are also addicted to the feeling of never being disconnected?

 I will occasionally turn my phone off to refresh my mind and register that I am unreachable. With certain people I will leave my phone in my purse and not care too much of what is going on in the world around me. There there is other company I will be around and my phone will never leave my hand. It is strange to think of the habits we develop and how we are so attached and dependent on a device. Not to mention the comfort it gives us. This if you left your phone at home by accident, you just got to the interstate and remember. What feeling immediately floods you? Do you contemplate turning around? Say you do decide you do not have time to go back and get it, how many times throughout the day do you reach for it? Think about it? How alone do you feel?

"A cyborg, short for "cybernetic organism", is a being with both organic and cybernetic parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space." Turkle goes about describing a cyborg as a person who carries a computer and radio transmitter in their backpacks along with a keyboard in their pocket. Digital displays were clipped onto their eye glasses allowing them to always be wirelessly connected to the Internet. “Always online, free from desks and cables.” This experiment is now a phenomenon that takes place every day in this age. We are now all cyborgs who use this digital outlet as a way of being better prepared and organized in an “increasingly complex information environment.” 

I got my first cell phone when I turned 13 years old. This was a tool my mom used in a way of staying in touch and as a way of feeling more secure about my location and activities. The new technologies of connection have revolutionized buisness by allowing meetings to happen in a online chat room, digital screen calls, and consistent emails. No longer are face to face meetings necessary when you are not required to leave your home. Education has been transformed by online schooling. I had to take Algebra 3 online when I was a senior in high school. There was a digital white board that the teacher could interact with me on. I also could plug in head phones and here the lesson taught to me while she visually would write it out. When it was time to turn on homework, I would digitally scan my homework into a drop box where she would then grade it. I would not have to change out of my pajamas. In the medical field, customers are able to take a picture of their prescription bottle and have it refilled without any heavy lifting. Being digitally plugged in has opened many possibilities. 

I love how she brings up the point that we have named cell phones after flavors such as: chocolate, strawberry and vanilla. There is most certainly a sweetness to them that lures buyers in. Cell phones have changed lives forever in bringing peace of mind, availability, easiness, and instant answers. No wonder we name such devices as yummy flavors. They have changed the dating scene. No one comes by to sit on your front porch and talk to get to know you, no one asks you out for ice cream after school to catch up. Kids now just text their “crush.” If they decided to take it to the next level they then may call but no one truly has to go out of their way but just to simply push call. 

Traveling is now more actively social. Turkle speaks of her trip to France with her daughter. One of her daughter’s friends calls and asks if they can do lunch at the end of the week. Her daughter accepts and they make plans but Turkle points out that her daughter’s friend has not the slightest clue her daughter is out of the country. Turkle reminisces on her first trip to France. She spoke about how much she enjoyed separating herself from “home.” Her daughter cannot relate to that separation but only know the constant connect with anyone and everyone. 

I would enjoy sometimes to not have a phone and not to always be on “call.” I then again would love to be brunette some days. I would think it would be nice to be in my own world and not have a constant buzzing on my side, wanting answers. But just like my blonde hair, I cannot let it go. I am always in wonder of who may need to reach me whether its my family, boyfriend, friends or my job. I did put off getting a smart phone until I needed directions instantly and realized the many applications that could be of help such as, gas buddy. It is an app that allows you to find the cheapest gas in town. Instead of calling my brother each time, I can now find out in a total of 10 seconds. 

I enjoy being able to text my friends daily wishing them a wonderful day or that I am praying for them. If I am at a doctors appointment and do not have the opportunity to call, I can shoot a quick text. This new age is just beyond convenient.

Since we are now so dependent on this finger tip technology can we live without it? I like many others check my email before I get out of bed. I will glance at Instagram before I go to sleep. Why are we so dependent on what goes on around us? The idea of putting a stop to it and being still sounds appetizing but does anyone have the discipline to put it into practice?

Since when is the physical person next to you the absent one instead of the person that is technologically connected to you and possibly thousands of miles away? Turkle described a situation of being on a train. She felt as if she was the one being made invisible by the engrossed conversation the man next to her was having on the phone. She felt as if she was completely transparent sitting in the seat beside him. How are we so good at becoming so absorbed in our technological worlds? The man on the train either made Turkle feel invisible or he had already made himself absent from the scene that he was physically present in. I will admit when my mom is talking to me, I can be so engrossed in a text message that I can barely managed to look up or even focus on her being right in front of me. Why the urgency when I could set the phone down for five minutes. It’s not like the text will send itself half way typed!

This chapter hits the nail on the head by being titled, "Always On." We are a society that is always on and constantly connected to one another. Do we ever turn off?

To begin to comprehend the word Cyberspace and all that it entails is a overwhelming idea. Cyberspace can be produced by mobile phones, electronic surveillance, and video conferencing. As of September 8th, 2012 there are 7,038,044,500 people in the world. To think of all those individuals are putting their own input on cyberspace makes it hard to wrap your mind around the depth of the compacity it contains.  

The U.N telecom agency says there were about 6 billion cell phones subscriptions by the end of 2011. This means roughly one for ever 86 of every 100 people have cybercultures in the palm of their hands and access to the virtual worlds at any given point. Facebook is a perfect example of a piece of cyberculture that over 500 million users take a piece of. Facebook is now used by 1 in every 13 people on earth, with over 250 million of them (over 50%) who log in every day. 48% of 18-34 year olds check Facebook when they wake up, with 28% doing so before even getting out of bed. 72% of all internet users have a Facebbook account. 

With having the Facebook application installed nearly 20 million times a day on cellular devices. This number alone says that our phones have changed from making phone calls but to a device that allows one to have constant contact with the virtual world. Phones have also taken on the different worlds of a personal diary, a health indicator, entertainment device, and a status symbol. I have several friends who have the My Fitness Pal application on their phone. This application allows them to track calories and log their daily exercise. With me working for Country radio, I have a a Country news application that allows me to stay up to date and receive breaking information that I can then update the station’s social media. Lastly, the type of phone that one carries is a status symbol of how “in” they are with the current trend. My cousin who is 16 and in public, high school will vouch that if you do not have an iPhone you are not cool. Any other kind of phone is not nice enough as the iPhone and if you do not have one, you must not can afford it. 

 Everything now a days is customizable so everyone can make it their own. I have an iPhone but to make it different from all of the other hundreds, I have a case with polka dots and I have not seen one like mine yet. Just like my phone, I want a e-mail ID that is personal to me. That is why when I was 18, I made sweetgeorgiapeach90@yahoo.com. This allowed me to set myself apart from all other accounts. I felt like I got to summarize and distinguish myself from many other emails that get seen everyday. When I first started working at Kicks 101.5 that is one way they remembered me, by my e-mail. Consumer culture plays on the need for people to want to be individualists. Cell phones allow for customized ringtones, Facebook allows profile pictures and Twitter allows you to make a username. Is anyone truly being an individualist when they are becoming part of these digital worlds? Are they not just following the rest of the crowd and joining along? Yes, one may make their Facbook unique but at the end of the day its still a Facebook and they are part of that culture.

It is crazy to know that Amazon.com does not have a physical store. It is a unique company that links itself between globalization, technology, and commerce. They use a flexible screen geography that is designed for and by the individual user. What an amazing tool that the individual can mold and make to fit their own. Amazon. com has threatened so many different franchises with their low prices that now Target and Best Buy will now match any of their prices. 

I do wonder, who governs Cyberspace? You hear that some text messages you send that “someone else” reads everyone of them. If you put certain words in a text message about the President then someone could knock on your door.  Also, once something is put into Cyberspace you can never retrieve it. Can Cyberspace ever get overloaded. Does someone need to be going through everything and deleting stuff before there’s too much and we cannot put any more on it?

When one thinks of cyberculture does gaming cross their mind? Video games went from public places to the home in the 1990s. This drastically changed game culture forever, Whether its war games or Disney games from the movies, gaming is a integral part of digital culture. In addition to video games there is computer, arcade, and handheld games. Men have been the main pioneers in bringing this phenomenon to this day in age. Video games have taken cyberculture from a television and a flat computer screen to another complete world. Games take the player into an interactive world and allows different roles to be played. Response from the games of course have shown that kids have shown anxiety and less interest to be outside. my brother would be a good example of this. He started playing video games when he was about eight year  old. He went from Nintendo to Playstation to Wii and now, Xbox. My brother hates to be outside and is a quiet individual. I do believe him playing games as a kid has molded him into a person who is a withdrawn homebody. 

I am Kaitlyn Henderson. This is my Senior year and I am very excited! I have gone to Reinhardt all four years and have loved every second of it! I currently work for the country radio station, Kicks 101.5.

If you know me personally then you know I have a Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I am a major social network junkie. Digital culture plays a role in my life on a day to day basis. There is not one day that I do not reach for my iPhone, Laptop or iPad to check these outlets.

These social media outlets that are a part of the digital culture are a vital part in allowing me to "stay connected" and up to date with the world I live in. If these particular outlets were not available I would not be able to connect with my friends and family.

                                    

Technology has created a digital culture by allowing society to link to one another behind a screen. It is on a non personal level. Social websites' attempt was to be personal but people have flocked to the idea of hiding behind the identity of technology. The advancement of the digital world has therefore created an identity for every aspect of a person's life.
                                              How Does Technology Create Digital Culture?

The older generation who choose to be ignorant towards social media still get lured in to other outlets of the digital world. If you do not understand this said world, you will be one step behind. To isolate yourself from this world of technology is impossible. It is all around us and constantly advancing. One needs to be aware of the growing world because it it becoming more and more essential to succeeding in life.

                                                   

Digital culture allows for personal expression which makes Facebook and Twitter intrinsically appealing. These social outlets allow for anyone to express their thoughts and beliefs freely and to their disposal. Digital culture is a pervasive technology that allows us to assume their is always a solution. This culture is apart of ourselves and an extension to society. Welcome to the age of information. 

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