In chapter 8 of Sherry Turkle’s famous book, Alone Together, we are presented with the idea that every person is consistently on and functioning, almost like a robot (or as Turkle would say: “cyborg”) This theory that we are constantly connected with the rest of the world isn’t just true, but it’s become more real every single day. As a college student living on campus I see the effects of this every single day. When we wake up, we check our mobile devices. On our way to class, we are checking our mobile devices. When we sit through class, people are on their mobiles. The pattern just continues. As a college student living on campus I see the effects of this every single day. When we wake up, we check our mobile devices. On our way to class, we are checking our mobile devices. While we sit in class, we are checking our mobile devices. We may be somewhere PHYSICALLY, but MENTALLY we are somewhere else.
In the short clip above, the boss seems more interested in his text messages than his employee. The moral: “Good leaders are always present.” This is especially true in today’s digital world. We are so involved with our technology that we seem to lose track of our physical world. We choose to check our Facebook while we sit at a table with our friends, rather than fully engage in conversation. While we may always be connected to the world around us, we need to take time off to look at the things right in front of our faces.
“When media are always there, waiting to be wanted, people lose a sense of choosing to communicate.” -Sherry Turkle
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