Today, gadgets like smartphones and tablets have become an inseparable part of our life. S. Turkle in her work Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age argues that over-reliance of the contemporary people on their digital devices and instant messages, emails, texts, and tweets harm the human ability to have a normal and valuable face-to-face conversation because it splits attention and destroys the ability to feel empathy. Due to the development of digital technologies, modern communication has turned into a faceless and mechanical process with complete absence of profound mutual understanding and compassion.
Nowadays, people choose to text someone, even they are in the neighboring rooms or offices, instead of having a proper talk, which would involve eye contact. Even during a dinner the partners both talk to each other and stare at their phones. Moreover, due to the permanent mass usage of digital devices, the contemporary society has developed a so-called “rule of the three”, when one waits until at least three people of his group have their heads up from their devices before he can start using his smartphone to make sure that some sort of interaction is happening at the table. I believe that having a conversation in this way is unacceptable, and I would rather not meet with such people at all, than have this type of a dialogue. I would never allow myself texting or scrolling Facebook while talking to someone because I perceive such behavior as a demonstration of disrespect. Moreover, if my companion would permanently have his face in his device, I would feel neglected. Thus, I would not wish to have a conversation, which would involve phones as a distracting element.
Empathy is the psychological ability of a human being to put himself in a place of another individual and, understand what one feels, or what he is going through at some particular moment. This can be achieved with the help of imagination or personal experience. This ability is suppressed by the lack of personal conversations, which involve eye contact. Thereby, people simply stop to fully understand what their partners or friends feel, or what troubles them. Since only living beings are able to have feelings and experience emotional reactions, no Artificial Intelligence like iPhone’s Siri would be able to take the place of a human partner in a conversation because, obviously, it would never be able to understand a human being and to show compassion. A person will never get the required sympathy or empathy from the conversation with the AI. An individual can satisfy his need for mutual understanding only through a real face-to-face communication with a living person.
There are three main factors that allow modern digital technologies offer an individual an illusion of control. These include: first, the idea that a person will never be alone; second, that an individual’s ideas or thoughts will always be heard; and third, that a person can put his attention wherever he wants and slip out of any conversation or environment at any time without any social stigma. Thereby, contemporary online technologies of plagiarism detector online also create an illusion that a person is a part of a group, thus, that he is not alone. . For example, if an individual cannot achieve mutual understanding with his peers or family members, or does not receive the required level of attention or empathy from his close people, he might feel lonely and abandoned. Thus, through online resources, this person might find a forum or a chat, where people share the same problems. This way, he starts feeling a part of a group of people, who understand him and share his experience. Simultaneously, a person can be rejected by his peers or colleagues for some reason. Thus, either at the classroom or in the office, this individual feels abandoned and lonely. Thereby, through social media, this person can create a successful profile or a blog, which would be read by a great amount of people, and this would make him feel a part of some group that shares his values or interests.
In my opinion, a question of solitude, especially solitude as a form of freedom from social media, is primarily a question of self-discipline. Having enough willpower, it possible to turn even a personal room into a place where you can stay alone. It actually does not require too much effort to find strength within yourself to turn off all the gadgets and laptops and sit in silence for some time. However, as for me, I would prefer going outside my house to stay alone with myself. During the long walks, I would ask myself whether my life is moving in the right direction. It is well known that contemporary social media uses a very aggressive form to impose people the ideas of how they should look like and live, and what they should like. Thus, I would ask myself whether the decisions I make are my own, or whether I am just following the stream and have turned into the voiceless and faceless victim of media.
After reading Turkle’s articles and understanding the dangers of the lack of personal face-to-face communication, I believe that creating the “sacred” Internet free zones and spaces should become a part of some public initiative. As for me, I think that such places as kitchens or dining rooms at home, city parks and playgrounds, and the majority of public spaces like restaurants, cafes, cinemas, or theatres should be Internet free. If I had such an opportunity, I would spend all my free time in these zones. In kitchens or restaurants, I would communicate closer with my relatives and friends, and, thus, I would be able to understand them better. In other public spaces, without being distracted by messages or notifications from social media, it would have been much easier to concentrate on the subject matter of the performance, movie or exhibition. At playgrounds, children would be able to enhance their communication skills, create stronger bonds with their parents and peers. Speaking about parks, it would be much easier to stay alone for some time, relax, and think over some personal issues or just enjoy the beauty of the nature.
There are many ways gadgets can spoil the impression of the visit to some event. For example, while attending an exhibition, smartphones, with their permanent incoming texts or notifications from distinct social media, can distract you from experiencing the art. To really understand a work of art, it is important to watch it carefully for some time and to think over what was seen. Moreover, if a person is occupied with making photos or creating posts about his visit to the gallery, eventually, the only thing that one remembers about the visit is himself writing posts on Facebook. He will never remember the visit itself. Nonetheless, sometimes, taking your gadgets to the exhibition might be useful. For example, you can take pictures of a masterpiece that you liked the most to show it to your friends or to save it for inspiration, if you are also an artist. Additionally, you can share the information about the event right away with the people who might also be interested in that exhibition, especially if the visiting time is limited.
It is impossible to stop technological development. However, people must understand not only what benefits, but also what threats and dangers this progress brings within itself. Thus, it is important to learn how to utilize new technologies wisely. Used in reasonable measures, gadgets and the social media can significantly enhance the speed of communication. However, it is important to remember that texts and messages on Facebook or Twitter will never be able to replace a face-to-face human conversation.
