Liz posted this as a comment, but I thought it deserved to have more visibility, so I'm "re-posting". ET
Does technology have a dark side? Don Campbell (2008) who teaches at Emory University thinks so. In a recent article, he writes that “[t]he digital culture has changed the way kids learn, but at the expense of literacy and cultural awareness” (p. 122). He contends that the “digital culture” is “narrowing” the horizon “to a self-absorbed social universe that blocks out virtually everything else” (p. 123). He further quotes another researcher (Bauerlein) who wrote that “[t]he Internet doesn’t impart adult information; it crowds it out”; “[v]ideo games, cell phones and blogs don’t foster rightful citizenship. They hamper it” (p. 123)
Campbell (2008) concludes:
1. We can’t fight technology, nor should we.
2. The Internet is the greatest research tool ever invented.
3. But we must fight the dark side.
What do you think about this? Is there is a dark side? How bad is it, if it even exists?
Campbell, D. (2008). Plugging in, tuning out. In L. Bauknight & B. Rollins (Eds.), Present tense: Contemporary themes for writers (122-124). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.
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More notes about a possible dark side:
ReplyDeleteMelissa Ludwig (2007) in “Look@Me: Generation next is living out loud and online” in Present tense: Contemporary themes for writers (not a required reading)likens social networking to a communication revolution. Do you agree? In every revolution, somebody gets killed. Are there ideologies that are getting whacked in this computer revolution? According to Lugwig (2007), when faced with possible negative consequences from intimate postings, one social networker stated, “… I don’t feel like not living life because of the chances of something happening.”
What is it about posting photos of yourself that is necessarily “living” or “not living”? You could still show friends some photos of yourself. You could make copies of photos of yourself and hand them out. What is so great about posting photos of yourself on the Internet for strangers, for their collection(s)? What is it about wanting to share yourself with the “whole world”? Who or what is out there in the world? Good people? Dangerous people? Stalkers?
Also, is it true as Twenge (a researcher) wrote: “Now, it all becomes a competition, seeking attention and seeking status rather than a true connection between people, or a meaningful connection.” Is there a competition between girls (women) and boys (men) to outdo one another online? Is it about competing for the love and affection of the whole world instead of fighting over one member of the opposite sex or otherwise?
Is the adulation of the whole world more important than concrete things and people? And how do you define this “other” who you perceive is out there who is worshipping you from afar on the Internet? Could this be the dark side of the social networking revolution?