Design Of Defeat Loneliness : A Debate About Loneliness And Its Relation With Technology

Social media has changed our culture in ways many, in years past, would have thought to be impossible. With the advent of social media, people are connected around the world. Using the internet we can have “face-to-face” conversations, write “letters”, play games, and much more with others instantly without the need of being in the same room as them. Even though we are all constantly connected, some feel our technological innovations are causing us to become lonelier. Many feel physical interactions are key to creating emotional bonds. Some even feel left out because they are not technologically incline. Those who believe technology is making us lonelier often note how some people say they have friends that they have never met in real life, or cite shows like “Catfish” where people fall in love with others over the internet, but the person they thought they were talking to is not actually who they were talking to. Though some may think technology is making us lonelier, in actuality it bring us closer together.

The role of the designer in this book is describes as “the creation of value” (Julier,2008, Page 14). What Julier means by this is that the designer is who creates the value of the product through their originality and creativity. They can also add value by considering social, cultural, environmental and political aspects to their work. The creation of design is influenced by the availability of resources and development of technology. This statement indicates that Julier believes the art lies within creating value for design rather than physically being able to manufacture it. One could disagree with this and believe that manufacturing is a vital part of the designer’s considerations.

The relationship between people has been changed because of the widely using of new technology. People can easily communicate with other people by using different kinds of methods. Because of the use of those methods, people have more space with others and frequently hide part of themselves on the Internet in order to show the best of them. In the essay “Small Change: Why he Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted”, Malcolm Gladwell states that the relationship between people can be categorized by strong ties and weak ties. For example, in the past, people communicated by the method of interpersonal hierarchies, which are considered as strong ties. However, with the development of technology, social network, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Skype, which have become very popular in the world, are regarded as weak ties. Moreover, in the essay “Alone Together”, Sherry Turkle claims that people are distant with others and get lost in the virtual world through the new technology. She points out that now people communicate with others through technology instead of directing talking to real people. Furthermore, some people suppose that sociable robots as substitutes for people. Both Gladwell and Turkle agree with the idea that technology plays an important role on people’s connection. Technology only creates inauthentic relationship because it hides identity of many disorganized people.

In the reading, “Connectivity And Its Discontents,” by Turkle, the author contends that social media defends people against loneliness. She also states, that it controls the intensity of connections of how people connect with other people, and create ease to communicate and disengage if people wanted to. For example, he states, “We discover the network—the world of connectivity—to be uniquely suited to the overworked and over scheduled life it makes possible. And now we look to the network to defend us against loneliness even as we use it to control the intensity of our connections. Technology makes it easy to communicate when we wish and disengage at will” (190-191). Therefore, people using social media to communicate is good because people might have a busy life style that doesn’t allow them to spend time meeting with their friends. It also provides an outlet against loneliness because some people might not have many friends, and social media allows them to connect easier with people they can’t see through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and many other forms of social media. It’s better for people to be open with other people online. People are able to socially interact with other people all over the world using computers, cell phones, and even tablets. The technology today doesn’t limit people from communicating, and web browsing to their hearts content. Social media and the technology

“Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it's really how it works.” - Steve Jobs.

Stanley Eitzen decries the increasing loneliness that has come with advancement in technology and modernity. For instance, the writer asserts that the present day generation is socially inactive as compared to the past generations. Generally, the apparent isolation that people have found themselves in can be largely attributed to technology. Often times, people find themselves using their mobile phones and computers as opposed to engaging in personal face-to-face communications. In effect, this increases communication between individuals but largely reduces intimacy. Other than technology, the types of modern lifestyles that people have embraced have led to isolation, as people tend to live in social and racial settlements. The state of isolation, the author argues, has many disadvantages as it leaves individuals susceptible to unlawful organizations, such as terrorist groups and evil cults. I wholly conquer with these sentiments.

This rhetorical attribution to design, challenges interesting areas of debate regarding the negation between design and the world. Design is seen as ..

Facebook, in particular, is the target of this article, with its enormous audience, Facebook is the go-to website to see the latest gossip, get in touch with everyone, and be in touch with everyone. So a lot of people give up face-to -face to talk with each other instead using the Facebook or any other technology. The research put into the lonely topic consists of psychologist’s opinions and real events. For example, the books Sherry Turkle wrote like “Life on the screen” and “Alone together” can see how serious the impact is.

In fact, she mentioned,it’s leaving us less human. Turkle has spent years researching the ways technology changes people, and has written a book entitled ‘’Alone Together,’’ in which she describes the disturbing trends.Technology appeals to us where we are most vulnerable.People are lonely but afraid of intimacy. And so from social networks to social robots, people are designing technologies that will give the illusion of companionship without demand of friendship.According to the a psychiatrist-Carl Jung, The founder of Analytical psychology,’’loneliness do not comes from having no people about one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seemed important to

Imagine a life without technology. Now, imagine growing older and not having interaction with family and friends on a daily basis. Further imagine being confined to your home or hospital due to an illness or disease. These scenarios can cause loneliness and a disconnection to the outside world. The need to connect to other people is a desire that everyone experiences. Connections can be through face-to-face conversation or virtually. One should not make the determination that technology is causing a private world. Technology is not a deterrent to social isolation, but rather a promoter for social interaction and the inclusion of everyone to gain, maintain, and keep meaningful relationships. Regardless of the many benefits that technology offer to people around the world, there is still speculation that technology is promoting an isolated society.

In the article “Is Facebook making us lonely?”, The Atlantic Monthly, 2012, Stephen Marche clarifies the relationship between loneliness and using Facebook in order to show the big issue about the effect of Facebook to its user’s life. In the beginning, the death of Yvette Vickers, the actress who is well known in Attack of the 50-foot woman film, announces the fact that although the connection we have today is more accessible and boarder than our ancestors, it is also shallower. The author also claims that the instant and unlimited communication make us suffer an “unprecedented alienation” and feel lonelier than before. Furthermore, some statistics about Facebook is also mentioned to illustrate the big role of this social network in online

Design for me is the process of creating a poetic language that will be conveyed visually on a simple two dimensional medium. There exists an innate connection between virtue and nature, it has been spread thinly over time making the relationship there once was no longer tangible. Having the ability to reunite the two, inspires me to be a creator of a space and form where the organic of environment and humanity conforms to this notion of culture. Given that all has a different fundamental nature of knowledge, we all share a connection to an underlying society.

Almost all connections and communication is at lost with human beings, so is their isolation. “Were lonely, but were afraid of intimacy. And so from social network to sociable networks, were designing technologies that will give us the illusion of companionship without the demand of friendship.” (Sherry Turckle) One can agree that Turckle speak the truth about society. Moreover, people have become afraid of friendship and intimacy, there no longer a cozy atmosphere. When our vulnerabilities take over us, considering that technology is our weakness, technology appeals to us forming an intimacy with the phone. There’s a lost of confidence in one another, there’s no trust, personally expecting from technology and it appeals to us. The feeling of loneliness makes us afraid of comfort and intimacy, feeling like no one is there for us. According to the article Watch out: Cell phones can be addictive by Kathiann Kowalski, she informs to the reader the boundaries between emotions and the usage of the cell phone. “Certain people use smartphone to lift their moods.” (Kowalski). A Cellphones removed human contact and interaction, loss of emotional intimacy and connection with another human being. With the usage of the cellphone our communication is instantaneous and efficient, but true intimacy and emotion is loss. In addition, we are trying to

Jonathan Pan Professor Brendan Olivia ENGL 1303 23 September 2015 Strong Response to “Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?” by Stephen Marche Making friends is a very important aspect to a person’s social life. With the introduction of fast growing technologies, our very idea of making friends has been altered very much. Websites such as Facebook or Twitter allow for social interactions to take place virtually. Can a website such as Facebook actually hurt a person’s social life instead of what it was made to do – improve social lives?

Did you know the physical effects of loneliness are comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day? Or that loneliness raises your chance of death by 26%. Throughout history we’ve known loneliness is harmful. Emily Dickenson called loneliness, “The horror not to be surveyed.” In the beginning of the Bible, it says, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” And yet, in our western society we constantly seek after individualism. Our society glorifies going it alone. In a survey done by the PEW research center, parents ranked independence as more important that empathy, tolerance, and persistence. The drive to go it alone is deeply rooted in our culture and we’re seeing the effects of what we’ve sown. Mental illness is on the rise. One in four women between 16 and 24 have harmed themselves, another 26% of these women are also affected by anxiety, depression, phobias or OCD. Depression and loneliness are at an all-time high. In the Facebook era we seem to have forgotten the value of community.