Summary Of Turn Off The Phone And The Tension By Jenna Wortham

Within the essays, “Our Cell Phones, Our Selves,” by Christine Rosen and “Disconnected Urbaism” by Paul Golderger, both authors expressed concern about the usages and the path our society is heading down. It is remarkable that within 30 years the cell phone went from a large mobile phone called the brick to what it is today. If we are not careful with the cell phone and our dependence on it, our social communication skills will be permanently damaged. Cell phones have inhibited the way we interact with each other and the way we communicate.

Ever since technology began so prominent in the modern world, can anyone remember going outside for more than 30 minutes and not see a cell phone or computer? Probably not, as these pieces of technology have become so ingrained in people’s lives, no one wants to leave their home without still being connected. And there is no reason to, as friends, family, and strangers share the same sentiments. Unplugging from technology is not only a decision people don’t make for personal reasons, it simply isn’t conducive to a productive life, as many people’s work and social lives wouldn’t be the same, if exist at all, without being connected to other people or the internet with just a single touch.

Can you imagine life without your cell phone? Does the thought give you anxiety? These days, technology plays a huge role in our everyday lives. You can do just about anything on the web and a smart phone provides instant access. In her article “Growing up Tethered,” author and founder of MIT Initiative on Technology and the Self Sherry Turkle discusses the attachments people have with their cell phones, the web, social media, and technology all together. Turkle speaks with numerous high school students about the relationship they have with their phone and the issues that arise from being tethered to it. We learn that communicating through mobile devices and the web takes the personal emotion out of the conversation, and real life interactions

Within Jenna Wortham's article, "Turn Off the Phone (and the Tension)," Wortham discusses the impact that social media possesses, in which Wortham believes that technology is responsible for shaping people's lives negatively. From Wortham's previous experiences, she shares a moment in her life that made her realize that people often compare their lives to others excessively- one of the reasons why people have social media attachment issues. Wortham also expresses how social media users brag about their lives being better than others through exaggerated posts- something that shouldn't be encouraged. With effort to resolve this issue, Wortham considers and suggests Mr. Hofmann's advice to readers: go screenless for a certain

As much as I regret to admit it, I’m attached to my phone. I’m constantly reaching into my pocket to check the time, make sure I haven’t gotten a new update, or to send a message. I do this even when I’m not talking to anyone! It’s become an addiction, having to make sure I’m not missing anything, and I'm not the only one who has this problem. Seventy-five percent of the world population has a cell phone, and that number will only increase. With the creation of new technology portions of life have become easier. Technology has changed the way we go through life. It’s made talking to people easier, as well as keeping up with the lives of others. However, the effects have affected the aspects of our lives that don’t include technology.

Famous 1930s actor Bill Benedict expresses “Technology is getting a new life.” Basically, technology is evolving so much and so fast it is almost as if it is gaining a life of its own. The new technology that’s emerging gives individual’s a new life and new way of living. In Jonathan Rowe’s essay, “Reach Out and Annoy Someone,” he illustrates his frustration with the new technology better known as a cell phone. He focuses on the negative impact cell phones have on people’s lives and how addicting it is. Cell phones have advanced so much to the point where it is giving a new life to society itself. Technology can leave both a positive and negative impact on the American families and society in general.

Sometimes it feels like we use technology more than we eat. Online editor Carson Pyatt said, “Many young people cannot last mere minutes without their phones “. We need to control how much we use technology. It’s all about our self-control of how much we use technology. Carson Pyatt also said, “I, along with many others, feel the need to respond to every text message I get immediately.” We don’t need to be on our phones every time we get a message or notification. We can wait and not be give into temptatin to answer or respond. That’s why we should try to avoid always getting on technology when we are bored or just to do it.

In a local Italian restaurant sit two families, both similar in many ways. One group appears to be tightly huddled together, talking and laughing. The other family sits around another table in silence, each member’s head faced down towards small electronic screens. Although each family appears to be together, only one is truly and fully engaged. Why? — smartphones. Over the years, as technology has improved, the use of smartphones has skyrocketed. Originally, the mobile phone served as an easy way to call loved ones at the touch of a button, but now with new applications and the Internet within reach, one can explore so much more. Although the smartphone continues to improve the daily lives of many people, it also functions as a device of destruction. Due to its easy access, the smartphone has the potential to distract people from important tasks, lead to terrific amounts of wasted time, and even isolate individuals from the world.

The purpose of spending a day without technology is to detoxify ourselves from the continuous barrage of information. Just as Mark Bittman mentions in his article, “I felt connected to myself rather than my computer. I had time to think, and distance from normal demands.”(4) We are so accustomed to rely on technology that we seem to forget what would become of us without it. Internet, radio, television, cell phones, video games and other technological amenities are part of our daily life, in a way that sometimes we can not see reality outside a screen. We have shelved conversations face to face, the pleasure of enjoying the birds sing or simply appreciate nature around us. Professor

Almost everyone in the world owns a cell phone. In previous years, mobile devices did not exist. Surprisingly, people would have to use their house phone that everyone in their family shared or they would have to wait until they could the person and talk to them face to face. But, our technology just keeps getting better. Cell phones allow people to communicate quicker and easier that they have become apart of people’s everyday lives. Sadly, there are many negative affects of always having our mobile device with us as well. In a social aspect, most people today have a hard time functioning without their phone, some can not leave their house before school or work without knowing that they have their phone with them. Believe it or not, cell

As a society, we go through constant change, the most popular change to date is the use of the internet and cellular devices. In today's world, most people have become so attached to their phones that they can’t have a simple conversation with another person. According to the article by Valdesolo, the average person checks their phone 85 times a day and spends an average of about five hours a day on their phones. It’s become such an increasing nuisance that some restaurants and concerts have banned the usage of cell phones, due to the fact that they take away the experience of being there in the moment, even in some places where phones are prohibited such as churches, people ignore that and use their phone anyways. We have lost contact with the reality of the world because of the fact that we are constantly on our phones. Cell phone are distracting us from what the world has to offer today.

By having a phone at all times, people feel a sense of security and control. If someone were to lose their phone suddenly, they would do everything and anything possible to find it. People have become so obsessed with having this handy device with them everyday because they have the ability to text, search, or call immediately. In the passage “A Flight from Conversation” by Sherry Turkle, she mentions how “online communication makes us feel more in charge of our

Name a friend without a cellphone. I dare you because if you under the age of thirty five that 's nearly impossible. We have always been warned: don’t trust the internet, it is a shield to hide behind. But what if everyone now is hiding behind that shield? 75% of all teens own a cell phone and 73% of online teens have used a social networking site (Carroll & Kirkpatrick 2011) Today our entire world consists of extreme usage of technology; it is integrated into our movements, our plans, our mornings and nights, it is simply becoming us. No wonder the over usage of phones as a form of communication, justification and stimulation is moulding how we are as people. I am targeting the adolescent age group, predominantly young girls between the

In the past two decades, advancements in technology increased throughout the public with the usage of cell phones, tablets, and computers. According to a digital analysis from the GSMA Intelligence (Groupe Spéciale Mobile Association), a research organization that calculates the amount of electronic devices made in industries, they recorded that there were more than 7.2 billion cellular devices in 2014 and that the number of cellular devices increases five times faster than the number of people in the world (Boren). Technology has advanced around the world and has become an essential for human life in the 21st century because it gives people communication from one country to another, a GPS system, news coverage, social media, and much more. These multi-tasking devices also help with advancements in science, medicine, and education. Although electronics have been assisting people, it is leading to an over addiction of mobile devices in daily lives. A survey conducted by Common Sense Media, suggest that at least 69% of parents and 78% of teens check their mobile devices hourly (LaMotte). Recent studies for technology addiction use the term “nomophobia,” meaning “the irrational fear of being without your mobile phone,” for people who feel distressed without their phones (What is nomophobia?).

As technology in our world continues to advance and evolve how we interact with one another in society also begins to change. The societal norms adapt to the technology that people now use constantly in their everyday lives, especially regarding phones. Our society has become one where people cannot live without their phones; some can feel like they have no life when they are without their phones. It saddens me to see a world where we can connect with people from anywhere around the world thanks to technology, but at the same time we are more disconnected from the people who are around us as many people spend more time talking and texting with one another using technology than having face to face interaction.