Clifford Stoll Isolated By The Internet Analysis

The advancement of technology that our society has been privileged with, is starting to take over human’s emotions and replace them with those of a robot. When it comes to the discussion of technology, I have mixed feelings because, in my opinion, we do have a great tool in the palm of our hands. However, I also think human emotions and actions are starting to become robot-like. We need to be able to process emotions so that we can better our understanding of not only each other but also ourselves. I strongly think society needs to evict the virtual world and come back to the real world although it is safe to say I personally have a love-hate relationship with technology.

The internet has changed the way we live our daily lives. It changed the way we socialize and has impacted the way we communicate. In the New York Times article, “Addicted to Distractions” by Tony Schwartz, it discusses how the author realized that his addiction to the internet prevented him from creating personal goals that will benefit him. For example, our author found himself one evening reading the same paragraph repetitively before concluding that he just can’t simply focus on the content of the book. This horrified the author because he once found pleasure in reading books, and now instead of reading them he finds himself spending countless hours on the internet. A large percentage of Americans are indeed addicted to the internet,

In this chapter Sherry Turkle discusses how new technologies have shaped the manner in which we interact with other individuals. Relationships have changed. In this new technological era, where one can remain online all time through various devices, Turkle wonders if being “on” effects the way we perceive others. Since our time is spent looking at screens, we are absent from what is happening in the real world. Instead of being aware of our surroundings, many are consumed by the many different possibilities that the Net provides. Some like to spend their time creating better versions of themselves on sites such as Second Life. Others are consumed in their work and feel that there is not enough time in the day to respond to overwhelming amounts of emails and texts. Turkle writes, “My concern [is] that the connected life encourages us to treat those we meet online in something of the same way we treat objects-with dispatch” (168). There are only so many hours in a day, and responding to many messages

Keith Hampton reports that, "A recent follow-up study, “Social Networking Sites and Our Lives” (Pew Research Center), found that the average user of a social networking site had more close ties than and was half as likely to be socially isolated as the average American."(source 4). However, being online isn't the only way to have a social life and less intimate relationships, "A number of studies, including my own and those of Matthew Brashears (a sociologist at Cornell), have found that Americans have fewer intimate relationships today than 20 years ago"(source

Maria Konnikova first assumes that no one joins Facebook to be sad and lonely. However, she found a study by Ethan Cross (2013), a psychologist from the University of Michigan and his colleagues which argue that people who used Facebook will become unhappy. They wanted to find out how the use of Facebook can affect them. The support is objective because the author presents facts and clear evidence, for example research done by Robert Kraut (1998) found that more people used the Web, the lonelier and more depressed they felt. In addition, after people went online for the first time, their sense of happiness and social connectedness dropped.

Simon Stimson, 49, of Grover’s Corners, died September 27th 1910. Committed suicide in the attic of his house by hanging himself.

To begin with, The Loneliness of the Interconnected is an essay on how the internet

I believe people who are practicing self-control to stay “offline” to gain self-esteem are ridiculous. Like the author, I am disgusted by this obsession, and I know that offline cannot be achieved as long as we are alive. However, this real-life experience only exists because the people invent the idea offline for their pleasure. Jurgenson explains perfectly, “There was and is no offline; offline is a lusted-after fetish object that some claim the special ability to reach, and it has always been a phantom” (129). The offline is an ideal place created by people who only love social media, but feels guilty when they realize they are addicted to them. I believe people feel better about themselves when they practice restraining themselves from using their technological devices. This idealism also leads many people who fetishize the offline to become prideful, and they start thinking they are better than other people. In reality, they are the ones who are really addicted to the cyberspace, and their boastfulness tries to hide their real obsession. People will dwell in the cyberspace if they have any contact with it. People believe that the offline exists because they are obsessed and create an ideal place, but Jurgenson clearly explains that “offline” is like a Utopia which cannot be

As previously stated, social media helps kids stay connected with friends and family from different parts of the world because “Online communication is particularly cost-effective and easy to use, allowing adolescents the opportunity to initiate, build, and maintain relationships with family, peers, and even strangers across varying distances” (Anthony, LeCory, and Williams, 494). Even though online communication is keeping people connected, the use of technology at a young age has an impact on adolescents’ personal development. The friendships, children have on social media might not be as meaningful as they seem. The article, Trends in Adolescent Development Impacting Practice: How Can We Catch Up, states that “[…], youth are unlikely to virtually “disconnect” from their peers when they are alone, instead choosing relief from momentary feelings of loneliness or unhappiness over a period of renewal and self-reflection” (Anthony, LeCory, and Williams, 493), this indicates that adolescents do not know how to deal with their emotions. Going online might help the individual temporarily, but if they see or read something that triggers a certain feeling it can make them feel

The adolescents must not be shy, or afraid to initiate conversations, which obviously lacks in those who have social phobia. Moreover, it is very important that one should be honest in their opinions, and not just say what they think the other person wants to or would like to hear, as that causes a distance in their relation.

Technology is becoming more popular now and it dose not make them feel alone. A lot of people use technology now more than before, and it helps them know more people, and make them more connected. Also, it makes them play with each other, and make them having really fun and good time playing. But a lot of people think technology will make us more alone because technology make people separate from each other. According to Lindsey Craig in her article “Technology -- we all love it and we all use it, but how is it affecting us?” she stated that “Technology is making us more alone, because instead of interacting with our friends in person, we are dependent on using our phones or tablets. We start to compare

Online dating contains the elements of liquid love as it focuses about bond- free living of relationship whereby free strings are attached to the couples with the enhancement of technology (Bauman, 2004). Online dating users can freely connect to any person without any commitment at the first place. In other words, through technology, everyone can make initiative to start a conversation with anyone and also choose to terminate the relationship without encountering the other person (Bauman, 2004). This is the result out of “the desire for freedom, for loose bonds that we can escape from if we so choose and for individualism” (Giddens, 2006, p. 244). Semi- detached couples, SDCs in “top pocket relationships” are the results from these contradictions (Giddens, 2006). This form of relationship means that it can be taken out from the pocket when needed or vice versa. SDCs can enjoy the fun moments with each other such as texting and email, however they will stay detached enough to avoid from being involved in complex emotional matters. Nevertheless, there is a contradiction by Bauman that in liquid love, humans seek for tightening of bonds to assure for the greater security between ourselves and also our partners. This is why for those couples that desire to tighten their bonds in online dating would go for another stage of life,

Today 's society is a network society. It is a product of the digital revolution and certain sociocultural changes, that occurred within these last twenty years. It is a society build around personal and organizational networks; that are based on digital communication by the use of the internet. Networks are international and know no frontiers. Furthermore, this brought forward new ways of communication, where people from every corner of the world are interconnected and make them reachable in every instant; thus, making the network society a global one. This results into " a dramatic increase in sociability, but a different kind of sociability, facilitated and dynamized by permanent connectivity and social networking on the web."(Castells, 2010)

Nowadays social isolation is increasing. We are spending too much time on our mobile phones and are less likely to talk to strangers in public areas. We are also forgetting about our everyday life. “Facebook may have 1.1 billion users across the globe, but according to the study, the technology is having a fundamentally negative effect on the way we interact with others, and the way we perceive ourselves.” (Mail Online, 2013). While we may have a large quantity of friends on Facebook, we might feel like we don’t have to make friends in real life. As we get older this could lead to loneliness.

Digital technology may give us many advantages in our everyday life, as well as benefiting our wellbeing. Online communication supporting existing relationships with friends and family can benefit our self-esteem and social connectedness. It can also make it easier to stay connected with friends and family while living abroad, which can