Sociable robots and online life both suggest the possibility of relationships the way we want them. Just as we can program a made-to-measure robot, we can reinvent ourselves as comely avatars. We can write the Facebook profile that pleases us. We can edit our messages until they project the self we want to be. And we can keep things short and sweet. Our new media are well suited for accomplishing the rudimentary. And because this is what technology serves up, we reduce our expectations of each other.
—Sherry Turkle in her book “Alone Together”. I just started reading this book an if the number of highlighted passages in chapter one is any indication, this will be an eye opening experience. I liked this passage not only because it points to our “performances” online but to the fact that the limitations of the technology tools themselves affect what we expect from our real relationships. Twitter says 140 characters only - still want to have a drawn out conversation over the phone?
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eimana posted this
