400-500 word draft
As a society, we often forget to look back into our past. We are so focused on the future that the past becomes just a whisper in our memories. Technology is at fault for this. It not only weakens our connection to the past, but our connection with others and our ability to think. This idea is elaborated upon in Sherry Turkle’s “The Empathy Diaries: A Memoir” and Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making us Stupid?” Turkle believes that technology negatively impacts our relationships with others since better communicative technology results in less empathy. Likewise, Carr believes technology affects society, but in a different way. He thinks that the convenient information provided by the internet is making us dumber. The web gives us our answers in a very convenient, shallow way. It lacks reasoning, and doesn’t give us a chance to think deeply about information or a topic. Overall, both authors believe technology is a negative form of communication and thinking.
Technology hinders our ability to think and communicate, weakening our connection with others. Sherry Turkle, author of “The Empathy Diaries: A Memoir,” explains throughout her work that technology is ruining empathy in both older and newer generations. She begins the passage with the sentence, “…we turn to our phones instead of each other” (Turkle 343). This means that instead of having social interactions with others, we tend to prefer the safety behind a screen. It is easier to communicate over the phone, but it is often shallow and lacks meaning. Face-to-face interaction is necessary, because “It’s where we develop the capacity for empathy” (Turkle 344). Likewise, Nicholas Carr’s essay displays the idea that having convenient access to online information is negatively affecting our ability to think deeply and it is a distraction in our lives. He explains that “Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski” (Carr 2). Carr believes that the internet has affected his own mind, making him less capable of analyzing large pieces of literature and resorting to the Net for quick, correct answers. Although he is finding the answers he is looking for, he isn’t improving his ability to think and comprehend large pieces of information. Both passages referenced above help prove that technology does not teach deep thinking or communication skills, but is a convenient distraction from real-life interactions.
800ish word draft
As a society, we often forget to look back into our past. We are so focused on the future that the past becomes just a whisper in our memories. Technology is at fault for this. It not only weakens our connection to the past, but our connection with others and our ability to think. This idea is elaborated upon in Sherry Turkle’s “The Empathy Diaries: A Memoir” and Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making us Stupid?” Turkle believes that technology negatively impacts our relationships with others since better communicative technology results in less empathy. Likewise, Carr believes technology affects society, but in a different way. He thinks that the convenient information provided by the internet is making us dumber. The web gives us our answers in a very convenient, shallow way. Overall, both authors believe technology is a negative form of communication and thinking that leads to a lack of reasoning, and doesn’t give us a chance to think deeply about information given to us.
Technology hinders our ability to think and communicate, weakening our connection with others. Sherry Turkle, author of “The Empathy Diaries: A Memoir,” explains throughout her work that technology is ruining empathy in both older and newer generations. She begins the passage with the sentence, “…we turn to our phones instead of each other” (Turkle 343). This means that instead of having social interactions with others, we tend to prefer the safety behind a screen. It is easier to communicate over the phone, but it is often shallow and lacks meaning. Face-to-face interaction is necessary, because “It’s where we develop the capacity for empathy” (Turkle 344). Likewise, Nicholas Carr’s essay displays the idea that having convenient access to online information is negatively affecting our ability to think deeply and it is a distraction in our lives. He explains that “Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski” (Carr 2). Carr believes that the internet has affected his own mind, making him less capable of analyzing large pieces of literature and resorting to the Net for quick, correct answers. Although he is finding the answers he is looking for, he isn’t improving his ability to think and comprehend large pieces of information. Both passages referenced above help prove that technology does not teach deep thinking or communication skills, but is a convenient distraction from real-life interactions.
Technology is also a way for us to escape reality and create a false environment of safety and certainty. As Sherry Turkle puts it, “We say we turn to our phones when we’re ‘bored.’ And we often find ourselves bored because we have become accustomed to a constant feed of connection, information, and entertainment. We are forever elsewhere” (Turkle 344). Turkle believes that our phones are not just an outlet to cure boredom, but a source of certainty. The internet provides us with all of the answers we are looking for and endless entertainment to feed off of. The statement “we are forever elsewhere” suggests that Turkle has also gotten lost in technology herself. She believes society is being pushed apart because of technology, and that everyone’s minds are somewhere else doing their own thing. Nicholas Carr has a similar issue with technology, stating “When I mention my troubles with readings to friends and acquaintances–literary types, most of them–many say they’re having similar experiences. The more they use the Web, the more they have to fight to stay focused on long pieces of writing” (Carr 2). He goes on to describe this as a “phenomenon” with fellow bloggers. Like Turkle, Carr believes that excessive use of technology results in a lower attention span and capacity for learning and deep thinking. Both Carr and Turkle highlight the positive and negative aspects of technology. While it conveniently connects us with a vast source of knowledge and answers, it isolates us from each other and as a society. It is necessary to adopt a balanced use of technology in our lives, so as to not distract us from our lives.
As both Sherry Turkle and Nicholas Turkle illustrated, technology offers a variety of guidance and knowledge in an easily accessible format. This degrades intellectual skills and social connections. Both authors believe that our future generations are in danger as technological advancements continue to appear. It is imperative that we recognize these trends and treat them to become a stable, connected society.
1200 word draft
As a society, we often forget to look back on our past. We are so focused on the future that the past becomes just a whisper in our memories. Technology is at fault for this. It not only weakens our connection to the past, but our connection with others and our ability to think. This idea is elaborated upon in Sherry Turkle’s “The Empathy Diaries: A Memoir” and Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Turkle believes that technology negatively impacts our relationships with others since better communicative technology results in less empathy. Likewise, Carr believes technology affects society, but in a different way. He thinks that the convenient information provided by the internet is making us dumber. The web gives us our answers in a very convenient, shallow way. I have seen firsthand what happens to children when they become attached to technology. They lack awareness and their attention to detail is minimal, unless it is a YouTube video a couple of hours long. I am also a victim of distraction. I have grown accustomed to watching television almost daily, and I tend to get lost in internet rabbit holes. Technology is a negative form of communication and thinking that leads to a lack of reasoning and doesn’t give us a chance to think deeply about the information given to us.
Technology hinders our ability to think and communicate, weakening our connection with others. Turkle explains throughout her work that technology is ruining empathy in both older and newer generations. She begins the passage with the statement, “We’re talking all the time. We text and post and chat. We may even begin to feel more at home in the world of our screens. Among family and friends, among colleagues and lovers, we turn to our phones instead of each other” (Turkle 343). This means that instead of having social interactions with others, we tend to prefer the safety behind a screen. It is easier to communicate over the phone, but it is often shallow and lacks meaning. Face-to-face interaction is necessary, because “It’s where we develop the capacity for empathy” (Turkle 344). Likewise, Nicholas Carr’s essay displays the idea that having convenient access to online information is negatively affecting our ability to think deeply and is a distraction in our lives. He explains that “Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski” (Carr 2). Carr believes that the internet has affected his own mind, making him less capable of analyzing large pieces of literature and resorting to the Net for quick, correct answers. Although he is finding the answers he is looking for, he isn’t improving his ability to think and comprehend large pieces of information. Both passages referenced above help prove that technology does not teach deep thinking or communication skills but is a convenient distraction from real-life interactions.
Technology is also a way for us to escape reality and create a false environment of safety and certainty. Whether it’s their health, finances, or work schedules, people love to have control over aspects of their life. Technology lets us find solutions to just about anything and gives us the power to construct an emotional facade that hides reality. As Sherry Turkle puts it, “We say we turn to our phones when we’re ‘bored.’ And we often find ourselves bored because we have become accustomed to a constant feed of connection, information, and entertainment. We are forever elsewhere” (Turkle 344). She believes that our phones are not just an outlet to cure boredom, but a source of certainty. The internet provides us with all of the answers we are looking for and endless entertainment to feed off of. The words “we are forever elsewhere” suggests that Turkle has also gotten lost in technology herself. She believes society is being pushed apart because of technology, and that everyone’s minds are somewhere else doing their own thing. Nicholas Carr has a similar issue with technology, stating “When I mention my troubles with readings to friends and acquaintances–literary types, most of them–many say they’re having similar experiences. The more they use the Web, the more they have to fight to stay focused on long pieces of writing” (Carr 2). He goes on to describe this as a “phenomenon” with fellow bloggers. Like Turkle, Carr believes that excessive use of technology results in a lower attention span and capacity for learning and deep thinking. I both agree and disagree with these beliefs. From what I’ve experienced in my own life, my ability to keep attention while reading long pieces of writing hasn’t been severely affected by technology. At least with research papers, I am able to read ten to twenty pages of facts and data without getting distracted. Maybe it is because I chose to read topics I am interested in, or it was for a class assignment, but I don’t feel too distracted while reading large essays. Both Carr and Turkle highlight the positive and negative aspects of technology. While it conveniently connects us with a vast source of knowledge and answers, it isolates us from each other and as a society. It is necessary to adopt a balanced use of technology in our lives, so as to not distract us from what matters most, connection and meaningful relationships with others.
As both Sherry Turkle and Nicholas Carr illustrated, technology offers a variety of guidance and knowledge in an easily accessible format. Although it may improve our capacity for knowledge and teach us new things, it is often overused. This leads to degraded intellectual skills and social connections. Technology also creates a false sense of control through an escape from reality. This feeling of certainty reduces our deep thinking and problem-solving skills. Both authors believe that our future generations are in danger as technological advancements continue to appear. In the past, we have experienced similar crises. With the invention of writing, the printer, and the telephone, people feared humanity would lose its intelligence. We have overcome these worries each time, but there are things we need to do to ensure our success. We must prioritize healthy habits such as face-to-face interactions, environments that promote communication, and stressing the importance of deep thinking and empathy in all generations. By addressing these issues, we can get the most out of technology all the while keeping our relationships and cognitive skills. It is imperative that we recognize these trends and treat them to become a stable, connected society.
