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Being 18 years old myself, I can easily relate to Roman and his classmates in Alone Together. Starting off the segment “Growing up Tethered” Roman admits that he texts while driving and that he will never stop. Because I am part of the same generation of the teenagers in this article, I can pretty accurately say that this is not necessarily the norm. Furthermore, I think there is a very big difference between checking your Facebook while driving and checking a text message or answering a phone call. This difference, however, is not one of safety. Rather this difference occurs on a mental level. Roman talks about how he must check his Facebook the moment he receives a notification, regardless of if he is driving. In my opinion, if someone is sending me a Facebook message or writing a post on my wall, it is most likely nothing of urgency. The only reason that I would even look at my phone while driving, is the thinking that someone might be trying to get in touch with me about something urgent. This constant paranoia is a whole other problem that our generation deals with, however, I personally think that it is more justifiable than just wanting to see what someone wrote on my Facebook wall. Regardless of the reason, texting while driving has been proven time and time again to be an extremely dangerous task, which is why it has been legally banned in 30 states.
Going back to the idea of constant paranoia, many people feel that since interaction is constantly available, it should be constantly used. For example, a mother recalls her panic:I’ve sent a text. Nothing back. And I know they have their phones. Intellectually, I know there is little reason to worry. But there is something about this unanswered text. Sometimes, it made me a bit nutty. One time, I kept sending texts over and over.
Despite the safety (although not while driving) that comes along with having a cell phone, there is still an all time high amount of paranoia in society. Because teens are always texting around their parents, parents automatically assume that their child will always have their phone in hand. However, this is not necessarily the case. There is a line between virtual interaction and direct person-person interaction. That is, when teens are actually with their friends, they are less likely to be constantly checking their phones.
Another topic that the teens discuss is that of interruptions and distractions. I would agree with the statement as it applies to many teens that an “’interruption’ is the beginning of a connection.” Though, unlike these teens, I can say that there are many times when I am studying or doing work that I do not want to be interrupted, although it is hard to fight these interruptions. Many parents constantly worry about the various distractions that these new technologies and modes of connection imply. Whether it be driving, or doing homework, teenagers are constantly checking their Facebook, instant messaging and text messaging. Although these distractions may cause a simple task to be much more difficult or to take much longer, there is a lesson to be learned. Just as these distractions are around now, they will be around and probably even more prominent in the future. Therefore, instead of avoiding these interruptions and distractions now, we might as well start getting used to them. Most things we do in our teenage years are meant to help us out in the “real world,” why should multi-tasking be treated any differently? I would even go as far as to say that through distractions and interruptions, our generation has produced the best multi-taskers to ever live.
The Ultimate Multi-tasker?
Taylor, you really nailed the major concepts of these articles through your post. You're right, technology is just not going to disappear. In retrospect it is only going to become more prevalent in our society. I think that instead of asking if it is harmful or helpful we should begin to figure out a way to handle this constant rise of new media and technology. Multi - tasking is a great thing to accomplish although there are times when full concentration on one task is necessary. There should be no need to text and drive but mostly everyone does it. There should be no need to check Facebook in the middle of writing an essay but everyone does it (or at least a majority of people do it). Although there are laws and consequences to try to prevent us from using technology at inconvenient times, we tend to look past these restrictions. In my opinion, the only way people can learn how to manage their use of technology is through experience. Although sometimes the experiences could be detrimental such as getting into an accident for checking your phone or missing key points in a lecture for going on Facebook, everyone will learn these consequences at their own pace. I cannot come up with a specific way to manage this rise of technology but I am sure that new ideas will come to the surface in the future.
ReplyDeleteTaylor,
ReplyDeleteI thought your post was really interesting, and I must say, that video was unbelievable. I think one thing you brought about that was very interesting was how technology has created a world in which responses are expected instantly. What I mean by this, is that if a mom texts their son and he doesn't respond right away she starts to worry about his safety. This was brought about in the article when we met Harlan's mom, who checks her son's backpack daily to make sure he brings his cell phone to school. Harlan even says that he hates bringing his phone with him and tries to leave it at home as much as possible, because he doesn't want to feel babied. Many other students in the article mention how teaching their parents to text, email and instant message was a huge mistake, because now they "feel trapped and less independent." I think another interesting point from the article is that technology usage has in a way lessened teenagers independence. Since people are always reachable via mobile phone, it's impossible for someone to go through the big city alone for the first time, or even take the car out for a night, because mom or dad are just one call away. Lastly, I think it will be interesting, to see if there is technology implemented that will make it impossible to text or make phone calls while driving, because it's leading to many horrible car accidents.
Taylor,
ReplyDeleteYou post was an interesting take on the assigned reading, and I feel like you took it in a lot differently then I did, but regardless I really enjoyed reading it. In particular I loved your line "sending me a Facebook message or writing a post on my wall, it is most likely nothing of urgency" because if someone really needed me they would simply call. Despite this, it does not stop the youth of America from driving into trees and poles, and for this all I can say is shut off your phone while driving. Great post, It was informative and really displayed the reading well