Gender Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Gender Studies - Essay Example Individuals at present have fashioned and shaped their lives based on their computer and social media activities. For the most part, their work, social life, and sometimes family life is connected and in some ways disconnected through the social media. This was discussed by Turkle, admitting how individuals often find themselves actively engaging in the social media and still being disconnected from each other from the most basic units of communication. Turkle points out that connectivity is useful, however, it also affects people’s attachments to elements or things which have always sustained individuals. She narrates a story involving her daughter Rebecca and her experience of bringing her to Ireland, helping her get settled into a dorm room as she was starting school in New England. Even with the distance, constant communication is still made possible with her daughter. Video chats have also allowed for actual conversations to be carried out with her daughter. Still, the au thor finds herself looking into old boxes looking for letters from her mother in the days when she herself went off to college. After finding the letters, holding these in her hands, she feels as connected to her mother as ever. Still, regular contact with her own daughter has been sustained through the internet. At times, there is a feeling of being constrained to be brief and still be charming during multiple video chats. Still, with the transition of technology, the author also realizes that in maybe 40 years from now, her daughter may not find the same connectivity to her as she has had with her mother. The digital footprints and records may have been faded erased and replaced with newer models which push the old information and communique out of the way. The story narrated by Turkle does show how lives are reshaped on the screen. People’s identity is ever mobile and ever changing, especially with the active use of the social media. More than ever, the transition has been seen in terms of digital settings where the digital technologies present the best usage for such settings. The shift from the digital world has been very quick and innovative and transitioning towards a specific convergence. Within the last decade, mobile technologies were not widespread in use, however, they have become more widespread. They have also provided us with an energetic process relating to service delivery which can be evaluated anytime and anywhere. Such omnipresent possibility for the social media has helped provide the connectivity and social media identity which has been discussed by Turkle. Such connectivity has supported the individual identity individuals seek to support. Mostly it is an identity which is digitally based. Under these conditions, it is possible to carry out transactions online, to call customer representatives and request assistance, to pay bills using credit cards from mobile phones, and even to receive goods with SMS confirmation upon delivery. Within this digital setting, the social media has become an omnipresent phenomenon. It has been imposed into the consciousness of people and their identity as well, enticing their participation in its active use. The lives and identity of individuals in the current age of social media is now inundated with text messages, phone calls, e-mails,