Turkle vs. Wesch

  

    Sherry Turkle, a psychologist and professor, gives a passionate TED Talk about the impact technology has on relationships and feeling alone. Dr. Michael Wesch, a cultural anthropologist and professor, advocates for education to be meaningful for students and less "inflexible" in Anti-Teaching: Confronting the Crisis of Significance. At first, Turkle and Wesch may seem at odds in their views and opinions on technology and the human race. Turkle wants the public to put down these devices and be okay with solitude and reaching out for relationships, Wesch wants to use technology to build relationships in his classroom and make classroom environments relevant. However, as I read closer and look deeper into this issue, Turkle and Wesch are more alike than originally thought.

    Both Turkle and Wesch emphasize the need for conversation and outreach. Sherry Turkle remembers being told by an eighteen year old that at some point he wants to "learn how to have a conversation". In addition to this anecdote, she notes that people are able to present themselves how they want to be presented online, especially on social media. She calls this "I share therefore I am". People have complete control over what they present, where in a face-to-face conversation they feel it is not filtered enough. Wesch prizes conversation in the classroom and wants students to ask "good questions" not just "How many pages does this paper have to be?". As a college professor, he does not have a lot of control over his classroom environment. Hundreds of seats are in rows and not conducive to talking and sharing ideas with one another. He has students move around and shift in their seats to engage in this conversation, that Turkle says is so important. 

    Going back to the significance piece of Wesch, he looked into how college students view their education. Students skipping classes, not reading the material (only about 26% saying the reading was relevant to what they want to do) all leads to this idea that some students are just not "cut out for school". This kind of statement validates the limited and narrow framework of education and standardized testing by saying some students just aren't meant for it. Keeping students in a box limits their creativity and critical thinking skills. I connect this to Turkle because she discusses how people are able to customize how they appear when using technology (think social media). Lacking the ability to branch out and keeping with the popular opinions, they strive to fit into the mold of what people want to see online. This damages how people have conversations in real life, build authentic relationships, and ask good questions. 

    Evolving technology has its pros and cons, there is no doubt about it. As Turkle says we are "together but elsewhere". Technology can separate us from our loved ones even when we are sitting in the same room. As human beings, we do not like the feeling of being alone, so we find ways to get comfort ourselves through a cell phone or laptop. Wesch finds the importance in conversation and discourse much like Turkle and wants his students to find meaning by asking questions. It is important we reflect on the impact technology has on us as an individual.