This week I explored the origins of the World Wide Web through the readings of
Jorge Borges,
Bill Viola, and
Tim Berners-Lee. I was happily perusing their works when I started reading a chapter of
Alone Together by Sherry Turkle. I found it difficult to put down and even harder to return to the other readings. Maybe I took to her work so much faster because it addresses the immediate issue of technology and how it takes over our lives or because the possibilities theorized by Berners-Lee have been realized. Whatever the reason, I found Turkle's work to be a train wreck synopsis of our society: our social interactions are too atrocious to watch, but we can't turn our backs on them. I personally find it very disheartening that we are reducing our interactions with people down to words, as opposed to quality time and actions. On the Colbert Report Sherry describes to the satirist the dangers of this new obsession with social media.
I've been brainstorming a few ways in which to promote my upcoming photo book based on my previous project,
I Don't Get It. I'll probably put up some flyers and posters with a propagandistic feel to advertise for the event as well as making a Facebook event. Before any of that happens I need to come up with a better title, but other than that I've chosen my book format and am working on finishing the covers and artist statement. Vivant proficere!
I don't get your title "I don't get it". I'm glad you are planning on comin gup with another title. I'm really looking forward to your photo book!
ReplyDeleteI agree, it would be very sad if our interactions with other were diminished to contact merely through technology - via phones, Facebook, and other similar means. We need to make sure to keep up real human contact and to not let technology suck us in too far, in order to prevent conditions from getting worse. There can probably be a healthy balance made in between using technology for communication, and actually interacting with others. Too much of one or the other might be troublesome.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that in today's technological society, the only way to keep up is to hop on the social networking bandwagon... I don't think it can be stopped at this point. That being said, I think there will always be a place for genuine human interaction.
ReplyDeleteI would agree as well. We are not interacting with people like we should. At the same time, sometimes it can be a good thing. For instance, couples who have to do a long distance relationship. Words may be the only way they can communicate with one another until they can see each other face to face. However, Overall, I agree. As a society, we do too much texting and i-ming, and not enough face to face.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the novelty of social media will wear off. It's not unlike the CB radio craze of the 1970s where people sat by their base stations listening for truckers chatting. Seems funny absurd today but perhaps so will FB obsession?
ReplyDeleteyeah i talked about this aspect of the articles as well. It does worry me that our society is one of habit, so its not like we do the same amount of face to face interaction as digital. Though, I think J&J are right, it might take a while, but people will grow away from the fb and major networks as the main way to connect with people at any distance away. my guess, is there is a movement already starting that rebells from this trend and our physical communication (face to face, talking, body lang, exercise, ect) will become more cherished in the western societies.
ReplyDelete