I found the first article we were assigned to read this week to be extremely interesting. William Deresiewicz assessed in “The End of Solitude” that technology is taking away our ability to be alone. The article really resonated with me, because it addressed so eloquently what I had been feeling but did not have the words to explain.
Recently I was away from my home and locked out of my phone for two hours, it had been a long time since I felt so cut off from the world. Humorously enough, I was surrounded by a group of some of my closest friends. We constantly yearn for more connections, often engaging in multiple online conversations at once. Our identity is placed in how many “friends” or connections we can make with other people. How many people liked our status, or commented on our new “life event” on Facebook.
In past studies, we have been taught that our desire to be listened to and communicated with is extreme. I think the desire to have communication with others while also maintaining constant connectivity with other go hand-in-hand. We have an overwhelmingly strong desire to have our thoughts, desires, and ways of life to be validated by those around us.
The other thing that interested me from the article was how the author addressed the change in what has grounded our life and personalities in the past. Mentioning that in the past the things that society has viewed as most important has been everything from authenticity to visibility. I’m really curious to see how the fear of anonymity evolves in the future as technology continues to evolve.