Oskar Wirga
[Pun on Facebook] The habit of thought is one which identifies our clouds of emotion as fact, as something to be interpreted with the utmost diligence, and often time our habits detract from living in the present. Social media has been playing an important role in how we view the world, our friends, and ourselves. It has also created new habits of ours, such as manicuring our profiles to be perfect, over-sharing or letting everyone know the most minute details of our lives, or it manifests itself differently - sharing nothing at all. The evils which inhibit social interaction have been around for ages, only under different names. Books, television, computers, video games, and now mobile phones have all been scapegoated as tearing down bridges which connect us to humanity, however the cliche of technology changing us has to be put to rest, we need to not look at the current technology - it changes too quickly these days to be thoroughly studied - but rather we must look forward and examine how technology must be changed to become psychologically beneficial, not simply connecting, but connecting meaningfully. Zadie Smith’s essay “Generation Why” discusses the implications of Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook and how Zuckerberg represents the core identity of a 2.0 type person, someone of the newer digital age generation. Smith states that for Facebook “Connection is the goal”, that the essence of the site can be reduced to giving people a platform to share whatever they desire with people of their own choosing (Smith 299). Zuckerberg created an area for which anyone can connect with anyone with no fee to pay; however that’s not to say Facebook is free as user’s give up their information to be sold to advertisers. The societal compliance with these new overreaching “privacy” policies is something Smith argues against stating that the generation growing up with Facebook, those who will become the next influencers of the world, “deserve better” (Smith 295). The people she refers to, the influencers, those who desire to change the world, those who grew up in the digital age, are categorized as 2.0 types. Smith argues that these people, “World makers, social network makers”, start by asking themselves “How can I do it?” which strengthens the notion that these people are optimistic about their pursuits in life, and have a different mindset from the 1.0 generation (Smith 299). Smith states that Zuckerberg answered the question “in about three weeks”, contrasting a intended difficult task with Zuckerberg’s technical prowess, strengthening her argument for the divide between 2.0 type people and 1.0 type people. Today, there are billions using facebook and Mark Zuckerberg has without a doubt changed the world. The change in the world created by Facebook is subtle and grand at the same time, it has a butterfly effect on the way we behave. People stay connected or reconnect with old …show more content…
Let’s Talk”, Turkle explores the implications that social media and mobile phone usage has on youth. Turkle’s overarching thesis is that the quality of interaction has declined as a result of mobile phone usage. She cites a study by the University of Michigan in which she explains college students have had “a 40 percent decline in empathy” over a 30 year period with “most of the decline taking place after 2000” (Turkle 7). Turkle shows how innovations like Facebook have made it easier for us to escape into a virtual reality, one without the discomforts of pauses in conversation, awkward subject matters, difficult realities, and as a result, meaningful connection which strengthens our emotional intelligence. Not only are students becoming more disconnected from each other, but we are becoming more isolated from ourselves as well. Turkle cites a study in which “student subjects opted to give themselves mild electric shocks rather than sit alone with their thoughts” (Turkle 18). Turkle presents an uncomfortable trend of how people are being coerced by their addiction to technology - addiction driven by a lack of connection, empathy, and ability to be alone. Smith would absolutely not be surprised as the shift in the 2.0 mindset of the younger generation also includes a shift in how 2.0 people see others. They become engrossed in their friends, their thoughts, their plans on how to change the world which ends up resulting in very passionate, driven people who fail to
[Pun on Facebook] The habit of thought is one which identifies our clouds of emotion as fact, as something to be interpreted with the utmost diligence, and often time our habits detract from living in the present. Social media has been playing an important role in how we view the world, our friends, and ourselves. It has also created new habits of ours, such as manicuring our profiles to be perfect, over-sharing or letting everyone know the most minute details of our lives, or it manifests itself differently - sharing nothing at all. The evils which inhibit social interaction have been around for ages, only under different names. Books, television, computers, video games, and now mobile phones have all been scapegoated as tearing down bridges which connect us to humanity, however the cliche of technology changing us has to be put to rest, we need to not look at the current technology - it changes too quickly these days to be thoroughly studied - but rather we must look forward and examine how technology must be changed to become psychologically beneficial, not simply connecting, but connecting meaningfully. Zadie Smith’s essay “Generation Why” discusses the implications of Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook and how Zuckerberg represents the core identity of a 2.0 type person, someone of the newer digital age generation. Smith states that for Facebook “Connection is the goal”, that the essence of the site can be reduced to giving people a platform to share whatever they desire with people of their own choosing (Smith 299). Zuckerberg created an area for which anyone can connect with anyone with no fee to pay; however that’s not to say Facebook is free as user’s give up their information to be sold to advertisers. The societal compliance with these new overreaching “privacy” policies is something Smith argues against stating that the generation growing up with Facebook, those who will become the next influencers of the world, “deserve better” (Smith 295). The people she refers to, the influencers, those who desire to change the world, those who grew up in the digital age, are categorized as 2.0 types. Smith argues that these people, “World makers, social network makers”, start by asking themselves “How can I do it?” which strengthens the notion that these people are optimistic about their pursuits in life, and have a different mindset from the 1.0 generation (Smith 299). Smith states that Zuckerberg answered the question “in about three weeks”, contrasting a intended difficult task with Zuckerberg’s technical prowess, strengthening her argument for the divide between 2.0 type people and 1.0 type people. Today, there are billions using facebook and Mark Zuckerberg has without a doubt changed the world. The change in the world created by Facebook is subtle and grand at the same time, it has a butterfly effect on the way we behave. People stay connected or reconnect with old …show more content…
Let’s Talk”, Turkle explores the implications that social media and mobile phone usage has on youth. Turkle’s overarching thesis is that the quality of interaction has declined as a result of mobile phone usage. She cites a study by the University of Michigan in which she explains college students have had “a 40 percent decline in empathy” over a 30 year period with “most of the decline taking place after 2000” (Turkle 7). Turkle shows how innovations like Facebook have made it easier for us to escape into a virtual reality, one without the discomforts of pauses in conversation, awkward subject matters, difficult realities, and as a result, meaningful connection which strengthens our emotional intelligence. Not only are students becoming more disconnected from each other, but we are becoming more isolated from ourselves as well. Turkle cites a study in which “student subjects opted to give themselves mild electric shocks rather than sit alone with their thoughts” (Turkle 18). Turkle presents an uncomfortable trend of how people are being coerced by their addiction to technology - addiction driven by a lack of connection, empathy, and ability to be alone. Smith would absolutely not be surprised as the shift in the 2.0 mindset of the younger generation also includes a shift in how 2.0 people see others. They become engrossed in their friends, their thoughts, their plans on how to change the world which ends up resulting in very passionate, driven people who fail to