Project 1

800 words:

With technologies ever-evolving advancements in our community, of all the technological wonders that have been created over the years, personal computers probably have one of the greatest effects on the daily lives of the average person. Computers have allowed us to be able to talk to others continents away in the blink of an eye, they allow us to research any topic with just a few clicks of the keyboard, and we can work, shop, bank, and entertain ourselves just on this one device, but is this device harming our way of life. Is it that this beautiful machine is made to make lives easier, or is it destroying the human sociological atmosphere? Sherry Turkle, a professor at MIT with a doctorate in sociology and personality psychology, seems to think so. In Sherry Turkle’s “The Empathy Diaries” she offers her opinions on how technology removes us from social circles and causes a lack of empathy in our youths. Technology isn’t completely what is to blame for the lack of conversationism and empathy among youths today; we cannot completely pin the problem on technology for it is a tool to be used, an application used for achieving goals and new ideas, it isn’t the machine that controls you but vice versa. 

I was born in 2005, so I’ve grown up around technology ever since I can remember, whether it be on a Leapfrog tablet, Nintendo DS, Computer, or television it was always there. My parents expressed their concerns when they thought I had enough time on whatever I was using, and then I would play outside. It wasn’t up for debate when they thought I’d been on my little games for long enough, it was time to go outside. I would go and play games with my brother, and friends on the street, or just spend time talking with my grandmother and her telling me stories. Even doctors as a kid would tell you that it is okay to spend time on devices as long as screen time is limited. What I see in the kids today is that they don’t have the doctor or parent parenting them into spending time away from devices and talking with one another. They all just spend their time on their phones playing games, scrolling through social media, and so much more. Sherry Turkle agrees when she writes, “I am describing more than a flight from conversation. This is a flight from the responsibilities of mentorship.” In other words, Turkle believes that in our eagerness for this new and enchanting technology parents get lost in their duties and aren’t responsible enough to limit their children so that conversations won’t die. If parents were able to step up and tell their children that they’ve had enough time on whatever piece of technology they are using and go outside, play with other kids, and make a real relationship with someone. Even doctors today don’t ask children about the amount of screen time they are getting, it is just so ingrained into society now that, screens are normal. If there was more control and strictness around screen time in children from adults there wouldn’t be such a disconnection in conversation and empathy in our youths. 

Children today also need to be taught self-control, the ability to regulate their impulsivity, and be given proper emotional care so they aren’t staying on their electronics for all hours of the day. Parenting today is a lot more permissive and indulgent, where parents are afraid of telling their children no. Kids aren’t realizing that not everything goes their way, and they are being set up for failure by parents who can’t set boundaries with their kids. Without these boundaries in place, children become dependent on their technology, because it can act like a companion when they aren’t getting the needed support from family. Computers become their connections to others and give a sense of companionship when parents can’t. In Turkle’s view, “I saw that computers offer the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship and then, as the programs got really good, the illusion of friendship without the demands of intimacy.” Turkle tells us of how computers have developed over time to be able to handle the emotional burdens of others without having the children put too much of their emotions into it. It tells of a false companionship, that computers can give us while not having to depend on friendship or intimacy. Computers allow people to have fake relationships without the development of empathy. Children who aren’t being parented adequately use computers as a bridge to create a bond, and then children get stuck on that bond. Suppose parents can teach their children the proper self-control, and regulation, and give them emotional stability. In that case, they won’t have to rely on computers to support their emotional well-being, and then in turn cause a lack of empathy in the youth.

1000+ Draft:

Hailey Cloutier

Professor Jesse Miller

English 110

16, February 2024

TITLE

With technologies ever-evolving advancements in our community, of all the technological wonders that have been created over the years, personal computers probably have one of the greatest effects on the daily lives of the average person. Computers have allowed us to be able to talk to others continents away in the blink of an eye, they allow us to research any topic with just a few clicks of the keyboard, and we can work, shop, bank, and entertain ourselves just on this one device, but is this device harming our way of life. Is it that this beautiful machine is made to make lives easier, or is it destroying the human sociological atmosphere? Sherry Turkle, a professor at MIT with a doctorate in sociology and personality psychology, seems to think so. In Sherry Turkle’s “The Empathy Diaries” she offers her opinions on how technology removes us from social circles and causes a lack of empathy in our youths. Technology isn’t completely what is to blame for the lack of conversationism and empathy among youths today; we cannot completely pin the problem on technology for it is a tool to be used, an application used for achieving goals and new ideas, it isn’t the machine that controls you but vice versa. 

I was born in 2005, so I’ve grown up around technology ever since I can remember, whether it be on a Leapfrog tablet, Nintendo DS, Computer, or television it was always there. My parents expressed their concerns when they thought I had enough time on whatever I was using, and then I would play outside. It wasn’t up for debate when they thought I’d been on my little games for long enough, it was time to go outside. I would go and play games with my brother, and friends on the street, or just spend time talking with my grandmother and her telling me stories. Even doctors as a kid would tell you that it is okay to spend time on devices as long as screen time is limited. What I see in the kids today is that they don’t have the doctor or parent parenting them into spending time away from devices and talking with one another. They all just spend their time on their phones playing games, scrolling through social media, and so much more. Sherry Turkle agrees when she writes, “I am describing more than a flight from conversation. This is a flight from the responsibilities of mentorship.”(350) In other words, Turkle believes that in our eagerness for this new and enchanting technology parents get lost in their duties and aren’t responsible enough to limit their children so that conversations won’t die. If parents were able to step up and tell their children that they’ve had enough time on whatever piece of technology they are using and go outside, play with other kids, and make a real relationship with someone. Even doctors today don’t ask children about the amount of screen time they are getting, it is just so ingrained into society now that, screens are normal. If there was more control and strictness around screen time in children from adults there wouldn’t be such a disconnection in conversation and empathy in our youths. 

Children today also need to be taught self-control, the ability to regulate their impulsivity, and be given proper emotional care so they aren’t staying on their electronics for all hours of the day. Parenting today is a lot more permissive and indulgent; parents are afraid of telling their children no. Kids aren’t realizing that not everything goes their way, and they are being set up for failure by parents who can’t set boundaries with their kids. Without these boundaries in place, children become dependent on their technology, because it can act like a companion when they aren’t getting the needed support from family. Computers become their connections to others and give a sense of companionship when parents can’t. In Turkle’s view, “I saw that computers offer the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship and then, as the programs got really good, the illusion of friendship without the demands of intimacy.”(346) Turkle tells us of how computers have developed over time to be able to handle the emotional burdens of others without having the children put too much of their emotions into it. It tells of a false companionship, that computers can give us while not having to depend on friendship or intimacy. Computers allow people to have fake relationships without the development of empathy. Children who aren’t being parented adequately use computers as a bridge to create a bond, and then children get stuck on that bond. Suppose parents can teach their children the proper self-control, and regulation, and give them emotional stability. In that case, they won’t have to rely on computers to support their emotional well-being, and then in turn cause a lack of empathy in the youth.

We may ask now, “What happens to the children whose parents don’t step up?” Or “My child can’t control themselves when it comes to the computer, what if they get stuck in its enchantments?” They may be entranced by technology and the wonders that it can do for people, but it never lasts long. Children adapt to and learn new stimuli so quickly that there is hope. Children of all ages get hooked on innovations, and then once they’ve had enough or find something new they move on. It first started with televisions in the 1950s when they would show advertisements for toys like the Slinky, matchbox cars, and even Barbies. Now this phenomenon happens even quicker due to the internet. TikTok, YouTube, TV shows, and movies all can show children new toys that they may want, and then when interest is made they are mass-produced. These toys fly on and off the shelves at mach speeds and then once the children become bored they move on to something new. Children can adapt to new things so well, that of course there will be some enchantment and then a falling out. Children are so adaptable that even if they become hooked to their computers and cell phones, it won’t be a huge issue, they’ll find something else to do. Sherry Turkle writes about a group of boys who went to an electronic-banned summer camp, and how resilient they were, “in only five days at a summer camp that bans all electronic devices, children show an increased capacity for empathy as measured by their ability to identify the feelings of others by looking at photographs and videos of people’s faces.”(348) These boys who went without their devices showed an extreme rebound in their emotional capabilities, they were able to better empathize with one another and learn about the world around them. One boy reflects on his time at the camp, being in a cabin away from technology’s reach, and says, “Don’t people know that sometimes you can just look out the window of a car and see the world go by and it’s wonderful.”(348) These summer camp kids were able to understand that while they enjoy their devices, the world and people around them are perfect too.