Connectivity

Sherry Turkle's article "The Flight From Conversation" resonated with several of my own complaints. I agree that communicating through a device can leave a lot to be desired when looking for connection. Text messages do not carry the same sentiments as in-person conversations. Although this concept was the main idea of Turkle's article, I was surprised she didn't elaborate on the specific differences such as eye contact, body language, intonation, and inflection.

I also agree with her argument regarding the need to be alone-- actually alone, without being "connected" through a device. Being comfortable by yourself is essential for healthy development. As Turkle stated, "If we are unable to be alone, we are far more likely to be lonely" (2). And as we discussed in class, loneliness is a common and widespread cause of depression.

While real human connection and face-to-face conversations are ideal, they are not always accessible or easily developed. In this case, I believe that having the ability to "connect" with anyone at anytime- even if it is through social media or robots- can function as a comforting tool, as long as it is not the only outlet for connection. Turkle seems to leave absolutely no room for consideration of the benefits that can come from communication that isn't face-to-face. For example, when she prefaced a story as "one of the most haunting experiences" during her research, she went on to describe what seemed to me as something very pleasant: a baby seal robot was taken to an elder-care facility where a woman began to talk to it about the loss of her child. Turkle ended the story with: "The woman was comforted" (3). I do not particularly understand why witnessing a troubled woman become comforted was so haunting, especially since Turkle does not elaborate or explain it herself, but rather, she proceeds to question why people would talk about love and loss to a machine. "Have we so lost confidence that we will be there for one another?" (3). The simple answer could be yes. Real humans can be busy, and real humans can be selfish. And while I agree with her notion that a "simulation of compassion" is not always as satisfying, I would argue that it is way better than no compassion at all, especially in this particular case because the woman in the elder-care facility may not have had many real humans that would listen intently, allowing her to express her deepest sadnesses.

Overall, I found Turkle's article to be quite aggressive. She over-generalizes by writing the entire article with the pronouns "we" and "our." Not everyone has lost the ability to be alone or cultivate conversation, and not "everyone is on their own devices" when spending time with family and friends (4-5). While she made several valid points, I think her argument could have been more effective if she had taken a more objective standpoint.

Authorial Devices

After our original discussion regarding authorial devices used in politically driven pieces of writing, I was able to read the articles and sample papers provided in our course pack with a different perspective. This was particularly true for me when I was reading "The City and The Pillars" by Adam Gopnik. Exploring this masterful piece with an objective standpoint helped me evaluate the article from the author's perspective which fostered a certain understanding in his uses of authorial devices, particularly his avoidance of drama and his use of metaphors. Both of these devices, along with many others helped propel and articulate Gopnik's purpose.

In contrast to Gopnik's removed and undramatic tone, "The Fate of The Earth" by Jonathon Schell employed almost the exact opposite devices. Schell used a lot of dramatized language and a theatrical approach where he panned in and out of his chosen scenery. These devices created a tone that was rousing. This gave the piece a certain ability to penetrate its readers and instill a type of fear that may help promote his purpose which was to stop nuclear proliferation. Schell could have chosen plenty of other devices, but the drama and theatrics propelled his article in a way that makes sense in accordance with his purpose.

Our discussions on blogs furthered my comprehension of such devices. Although I was previously aware that there were certain tactics used to determine particular tones, I never necessarily considered visual components as their own devices. Thinking in terms of blogs, however, these visual components seem as if they may be some of the most important devices. As you mentioned in class, it only takes a fraction of a second to make a judgement on the physical appearance of a blog, If a blog is decided to be aesthetically pleasing, it is more likely that a reader will stay on the blog to explore its content and possibly respond or continue to come back. Besides the visual devices of a blog, the content of each post is also crucial. The author of the blog would presumably want to keep an approachable tone that is open to conversation since this could be a device to encourage interaction from its readers. Furthermore, the blog needs to have a reasonably easy navigational system. Without this, a visitor may be confused and therefore turned off to the entire blog including its content. This particular instance is a prime example of the importance of authorial devices. If each device is not employed mindfully, the audience may not be able to acquire every aspect that the author intended. Because of this notion, most every author is extremely careful of the devices they use and how they use them. Learning about this has changed the way I read peoples' writing and also the way I write to my audiences.

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