Reader Response #4
“Social Connections” by Steven Johnson
Steven Johnson begins with Thomas Friedman’s experience with the disconnection with society due to technology. The idea of the story was to convince the reader that technology is separating people more than bringing them together. Johnson agrees with this argument, but he also disagrees with it. He explains that technology is reducing the amount of social interaction we have with other people, but at the same time it brings us closer to others around the world through chat rooms and forums.
I understand both arguments, but I am going to take the side of Friedman in this case. I can see that there is a greater need for social interaction today. People have distanced themselves so much to the point where having face-to-face interaction is becoming a skill we have to learn. As a Christian, I need to be able to share the gospel with people. This is something I’ve been lacking in and have a difficult time accomplishing because I have become so disconnected with others. Having to talk to people is becoming an art form. Being able to speak to someone with confidence is something many people struggle with.
Speeches and presentations are not like talking to someone face-to-face. In everyday life, no one can prepare a conversation. Many people have a hard time confronting others over small things because they cannot handle the rejection or unexpected, immediate reactions. The internet has made us unable to connect with others. Friedman simply states, “Yes, technology can make the far feel near. But it can also make the near feel very far” (PCI 414). It seems that people have a difficult time trying to have a simple conversation with people they see every week or every day. My roommate, of a year and a half, cannot have a normal conversation about how we are doing. She sends me notes on my desk or writes me an email just to “check on me.” Her disability to ask me a basic question is a factor of her insecurity with talking to people. Many like her spend more time on the Internet than socially interacting with people. There are people who surround themselves with this technology as a substitute for personal interaction with others.
The Internet and much of technology are separating people. People have a difficult time trying to have face-to-face conversations with both strangers and those they are close to. Yes, technology can bring people around the world closer together, but at the same time it distances those who live next door to each other. Technology is creating dividers that can only be torn down through the practice of communicating with words and personal interaction.
I do not believe that the internet is a threat to our daily face-to-face interactions. Not that much has changed since the beginning of social networking. It is a place where people can express and share their everyday lives with friends who are far away. Johnson gives an example where he participates in a debate on the Atlantic Yards project. He says that although there was no face-to-face interactions with the members of the debate, “the intensity and depth on the discussion has been far greater than any conversation on any topic that I’ve ever had with a stranger on a subway”(415). By having a more in depth conversation Johnson was able to learn more about the controversy. The internet and mainly social networking can have a stupendous positive effect on people. I love to work on cars and when I come across an obstacle, I use online forums as my solution. I have made a couple friends as a result of posting on these forums. This type social networking brings together people with similar interests which can lead to friendships and connections.
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