A Difference of Opinions

Assigned with reading two articles, Can You Hear Me Now? written by Sherry Turkle and Gin, Television, and Social Surplus written by Clay Shirky, I was able to see how media has affected society from two opposing views. Both writers agree that media has affected identity, but differences arise when it comes to whether or not media affects one’s identity in a negative or positive way.

Sherry Turkle explains her point of view saying, “We are connected, tethered, so important that out physical presence.” In effect, media allows people to recreate their identity virtually. Turkle presents this concept in a very skeptical way; in her opinion, this is something we need to be extremely cautious of because it leads to dependency on technology. Clay Shirky, on the other hand, sees media as creating purpose rather than dependency. In his words, “It is better to do something than nothing.” Shirky is explaining that though certain aspects of media may not seem relevant to you and me, it may give a sense of belonging to others.

Below is a link which puts into perspective how media has evolved over the years and how prevalent it has become in today’s culture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi34kVUEL5c

While Shirky may present his opinion in a more positive way, I found Turkle’s article to be more persuasive. This is because Turkle presents her argument in a clear, concise and organized way. The tone of her article is believable, whereas Shirky’s sounds too opinionated to be persuasive.

The Veldt

Have you ever imaged living in luxury? Of having kitchens that cook your food, beds that rock you to sleep and rooms that project your imagination onto its walls. Ray Bradbury depicts this is the type of house in his short story The Veldt. George and Lydia Hadley are parents to Peter and Wendy, their ten year old son and daughter. Together they live in a house of luxury, one luxury in particular that is a source of concern for Lydia—the nursery. The nursery is a room for the children which projects whatever they imagine onto its walls right down to the smells, sounds, and sensations. This room, which was previously intended to be a positive outlet of creativity for the children, has become a channel towards destructive thoughts rather than a release.

Lydia discovers this when she notices the children have been imagining the veldts of Africa filled with ravenous lions, blistering heat, and most disturbing of all death. Worried, George and Lydia call their psychologist, David McClean, to evaluate the situation. Acting as an outside point of view, McClean informs Lydia and George that they’ve built their lives around technology and let it replace the relationship with their children. This is shown when peter says to his father, “’I don’t want to do anything but look and listen and smell; what else is there to do?’” By saying this, we see how addicted to technology the children have become, and in turn have become lazy.

In an effort to save their family, they decide to turn their house off, including the nursery. George is convinced this is necessary saying, “’Now we’re really going to start living. Instead of being handled and massaged, were going to live.’” However, when the children hear about this they throw a fit and beg to be let back in the nursery for just a minute longer. Bending under the tantrum, George and Lydia allow it. Suddenly they hear screams and race into the nursery to see what Peter and Wendy are up, only for the door to unexpectedly shut behind them. They find themselves in their children’s imagined African veldt surrounded by lions. The story ends and we are left under the impression that the lions have eaten the parents, and the children are free to use their nursery as they please.