the illusion of conversation in sips of connection

"WE expect more from technology and less from one another and seem increasingly drawn to technologies that provide the illusion of companionship without the demands of relationship. Always-on/always-on-you devices provide three powerful fantasies: that we will always be heard; that we can put our attention wherever we want it to be; and that we never have to be alone. Indeed our new devices have turned being alone into a problem that can be solved." 

Thanks to Beth for sending along the LINK to this piece in the New York Times by Sherry Turkle, wise student and observer of human interactions with and use of technology. Turkle notes that real conversations, that are the stuff of real relationships, take time and encourage reflection.  These can be enhanced by instant modes of communication, which she designates as "sips," but she asserts those texts, tweets, and FB messages do not substitute for relationship and can be used to avoid genuine solitude.  If the technology has limited effectiveness for individual relationships, one wonders if the limits are even more limited for building community?

Notice that limited effectiveness does not imply no effectiveness, only that some types of interaction require time and physical presence.  In this regard a resident college offers its students a precious opportunity to live, study, eat, and converse in real-time, face-to-face over an extended period of time.  That this most often takes place when students are in their late teens and early twenties probably magnifies the benefit.  Perhaps it might even foster a desire to seek out other communities once they graduate from college life.