While watching Turkle's TED Talk and reading her article in Time magazine, one quote really stood out to me. "I share therefore I am". I think this quote speaks volumes to how we view ourselves and our conception of self in this technological world. The quote is obviously a reference to the philosopher René Descartes's famous quote: "I think therefore I am". Descartes's quote can be simplified to the idea that the very action of thinking and contemplating one's own existence is proof of the fact that we do in fact exist. This is still a very complex idea but essentially, thinking in this case is what is unique to humanity. Our concept of self comes from the process of thought.
Turkle's quote is meant to mirror Descartes and discuss what it means to "be" in this modern world. Sharing or posting on social media is equated to proof that we are real people. I think about times I have met someone and followed them on social media and seen posts they've made. It would be strange to not have any sort of online presence in our modern world. If someone messaged you online but had no other posts or profile picture, you would probably question whether this person was real or not. Engaging with technology and social media has become crucial to one's existence in our current society.
For me, I think the pandemic has furthered this idea. In a time where we couldn't see other people in person, our online presence became even more important and vital to our existence in this world. Without sharing or posting, no one had any idea how you were doing in the pandemic. Texting became a method of communication that was vital to staying in touch. Online classes became the medium through which I finished my undergrad degree. For all intents and purposes, technology became one of the most important aspects of our world in the pandemic. In many ways, it was a solution to our inability to be physically together. In my opinion, I don't think things will ever fully go back to the way they were before the pandemic because we gained so much useful technology that we relied on and that technology shows no signs of going away. This article in Forbes magazine discusses the long-term effects of technology on our society in a post-pandemic world in greater detail.
I agree with you in regards to technology being part of our existence. I kept some part of living during the pandemic such as the use of texting, and implementing it my daily existence and necessity. I am going back to my old self in regards to my communication form with my friends, family and others. Interpersonal communication is very important to me and I enjoy having in-person connections with people.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your post. I also believe that things will probably ever go back to how they were before COVID because of the simple fact that it opened up the many doors that technology has.
ReplyDeleteHi Hannah! I completely agree with you on Turkle's tongue-in-cheek adaption of Descartes famous justification of existence. Technology has become an essential component to being in our post-pandemic society.
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