Journal#5

I understand and agree with many of the things in the article, “Can You Hear Me Now?” by Sherry Turkle. I have never been to any kind of conference or seminar so I can’t relate with her points about that, but I have always wondered how people spend so much time on their PDA’s and Blackberrys checking email and doing whatever else it is that they do. Nowadays it is even more crazy with the rising popularity of Twitter.com, where people who have Blackberrys or other compatible cell phones can update a “mini-blog”, known as “tweeting”, to let friends or anyone else know what they are doing. I also found her points about living a “second life” in the virtual world to be very interesting as well. I have always complained about people are always in such a rush like everyone is always “on the move”. I work in retail and one thing I complain about all the time is when customers call in to ask questions or check to see if we have an item, I am polite, knowledgeable, and try to answer any and all questions that they might have. More often than not, the second their last question is answered, they say “ok thanks…” and then hang up the phone. I would say that probably 90% of the customers that I talk to on the phone while I’m at work don’t say “bye” before they hang up the phone. Are people really in that big of a hurry?
I think that many people in the world are probably too intimate with their cell phones and computers and other technology. Based on the points that Turkle makes, it seems that those people who are aware that it is not necessary to rely on a Blackberry or check their email every 15 minutes, may be better off in the long run for retaining more of their “humanity”. I myself have never actually felt the need to be in the technological “in-crowd”. I don’t have a Blackberry. I didn’t even have a cell phone until I could afford to pay for one when I was 19. I’ve never owned an iPod, not because I’m against them, just because I’ve never felt like I needed one. Honestly this article makes me think that “TheMatrix” might one day become a reality.