Paul and I listened to this TED Talk together this morning and it made a big impression. As we sat together in the same room not talking just listening on my iPod together we could appreciate the irony of the situation. Sherry Turkle brings up some very valid points about where this hyper-connectivity to technology is taking us.
Lately, I’ve been more aware of how often some of the youth I work with (and their teachers) will take a call during a workshop or class or how I often see them texting on their phones instead of interacting. This is not new and it is not unique to this situation but it’s been on my mind because it appears to be more culturally acceptable to do these things here in Ecuador. That’s not a value statement it’s a simple an observation.
Of course the irony of putting this on our blog is also not lost on us but such is life these days. Take the time to listen to Sherry’s insights and who knows, maybe it will spark a face-to-face discussion like it did for us this morning.