Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Yaqueline Hernandez
ENG 101A
Professor McHugh
Social media and technology have an automatic negative connotation because of the
overuse in modern society. It is argued that technology has limited our genuine connections and
doesn’t benefit society at all, but actually destroys it. However, according to research and
personal experiences, social media and technology is what brings people together. Social media
and technology have evolved with time and have expanded human’s opportunities and
connections. Within Seeing Ourselves Through Technology by Jill Walker Rettberg, Our devices
are not turning us into unfeeling robots by Jenny Davis, and We Are all Cyborgs Now by Amber
Case, it is argued that technology has has allowed people to be self-assured with their identities,
increased our empathic emotions, and enhanced our connections to one another on a global scale.
have become available at the touch of our fingertips in order to create more accurate
identity. While there’s backlash towards people posting everyday experiences and thoughts, “we
no longer need to rely on others to represent us. We represent ourselves” (Rettberg 88). Because
everyone has access to social media, people can decide what to post on their page in order to
express themselves. With social media, we can decide how society can view us and what version
of ourselves they are allowed to see. A profile picture can also have a positive effect towards
identity, it can be “... a visual expression of identity, and our choice of profile photos is clearly a
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form of visual self-representation” (Rettberg 40). The decision made behind a profile photo is a
direct way of self-representation and value. For example, when I choose a picture of myself to
post, I go through different stages; whether I like it, if it’s a good reflection of who I am, and if
other people will react positively to it. This is not necessarily because I’m self-absorbed or
insecure and I need outside reassurance, it’s because a picture can make you feel confident and a
positive response will always be rewarding. Ultimately, a positive aspect of social media is that
people will choose a profile picture based on the ideal version of themselves, allowing them to
Technology is also beneficial in the increase of empathic connection, though some argue
that technology is detrimental and has affected people’s relationships, connections, and empathy
towards one another, but misleading information can be the root of such doubts. Jenny Davis in
Our devices are not turning us into unfeeling robots, contradicts Sherry Turkle’s essay, Stop
Googling. Let’s Talk. argument on how technology is affecting people to lose touch with their
empathy and genuine connections. Turkle leads multiple experiments, one in particular when
phones were put away at a camp and “after five days without phones or tablets, these campers
were able to read facial emotions and correctly identify [emotions]” (Turkle). However Davis
discredits Turkle and states, “Ironically, the findings from the camp study show that screens
themselves have no effect on empathy—exactly the opposite of what its authors (and Turkle)
report” (Our devices are not turning us into unfeeling robots). Davis explains the misuse of
information from the experiments conducted by Turkle. The two groups had almost identical
scores by the end of the experiments, meaning that the devices had almost no effect on their
empathy. In fact, “...digitally mediated text, images, and interactions improve our ability to
understand each other, reduce stereotypes, and increase helping behavior” (Davis).
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Communication through technology can help people who are uncomfortable with face-to-face
conversation build real connections with others. Social media and technology do not have a
direct connection to lose of empathy, in fact it brings people together and can result in genuine
connections.
People with disabilities have struggled to match the standards of ‘normal’ throughout
history; always being seen as different, though now technology can be incorporated into these
people’s everyday lives in order to create a healthier environment and to feel included. As
technology evolved, “...those who are hearing impaired, stutter, or lack body control, find new
communicative opportunities in digital technologies that allow users to express themselves and
listen to others...” (Davis). People with disabilities use technology in order to empathize and
connect with other human beings, validating their use of technology, and contradicting the
connotation of technology being a direct effect of lack of empathy. Davis explains that autism
researchers use multimedia devices to promote empathy. She argues that through the use of
multimedia you can communicate with others, and even learn to sympathize through the use of
it. Davis also includes people who have a difficult time with holding a face-to-face conversation
because of anxiety or attention problems. Davis explains that people with these disabilities
“...may finally feel at home in a multitasking environment” (Our devices are not turning us into
unfeeling robots). Social media is inclusive towards people who struggle with socializing
everyday and aids their lives by allowing them to build connections through a social platform.
The exclusion of others who were different was present without technology, but now people
With today’s technology we can build connections with other people from all over the
world. Long distance communication was difficult before the limit of technology and friends and
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family weren’t able to hold a decent conversation because of geography. In the Amber Case TED
Talk, We are all cyborgs now, she argues that “... everyone [is] carrying around wormholes in
their pockets… they [are] mentally transporting themselves” (Case). We don’t have to be
physically present with each other in order to enjoy each other’s company and build strong
connections, we can just mentally be there. Location isn’t interfering either we “... can [now]
stand on one side of the world, whisper something and be heard on the other” (Case). Advanced
technology, like social media, can transmit information in seconds allowing us to update others
might argue that social media is diminishing the power of communicating with our loved ones
because it’s through a device or social platform. On the contrary, as Case identifies that “... it
ends up being more human than technology, because we're co-creating each other all the time ...
it's still a human connection -- it's just done in a different way” (We are all cyborgs now).
Social media and technology have also personally helped me get through my hardest
different cultures and ideas. Twitter was the main website back in 2013, and my 13-year-old self
made an account and in exchange, explored the world through the eyes of strangers. Through
Twitter, teenagers would share their personal experiences and journey. Sharing their mistakes
and stories, helped me learn how to become more open-minded, and how to be more accepting of
others. Ranging from topics of kindness to the hardships of politics, social media helped develop
my understanding of different people, from all over the globe, and it helped me grow into the
person I am today.
Negativity towards social media formed through misunderstanding the true purpose of it,
which is building human connections to the worldwide level. Within Seeing Ourselves Through
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Technology by Jill Walker Rettberg, Our devices are not turning us into unfeeling robots by
Jenny Davis, and We Are all Cyborgs Now by Amber Case, it’s argued that technology benefits
society in the way nothing else has ever before. With social platforms and technology, we build
more empathetic connections, location isn’t an issue with connecting with one another, and
people within outside groups feel more included. Technology has evolved tremendously in the
past few decades, and it will continue to grow, and with it inclusivity for everyone, everywhere
Works Cited
Case, Amber. “Amber Case: We are all cyborgs now.” TED. December 2010,
Davis, Jenny. “Our devices are not turning us into unfeeling robots.” The Kernel, 15 November
2015,https://kernelmag.dailydot.com/issue-sections/staff-editorials/14961/sherry-turkle-
Rettberg, Jill Walker. “Seeing Ourselves Through Technology”. University of Bergen, Norway.
Turkle, Sherry. “Stop Googling. Let’s Talk.” The New York Times. 26 September 2015,
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/27/opinion/sunday/stop-googling-lets-talk.html. 19
November 2018.