I see postmodernism as the beliefs and emotions humans have
when interacting with technology and how these interactions shape us as
individuals and as a species entirely. For instance, humans have developed a
sort of attachment to inanimate objects like phones, computers, and various
social media accounts. When in reality, there should be no real reason as to
why humans develop bonds with things incapable of reciprocating emotions or
thoughts. I have had my own personal example of this type of bond, in which a
few years ago I had to undergo a series of medical treatments for the duration of
eight months. In a majority of these procedures, I was not allowed to have
anyone in the room (besides the doctors and nurses). I was, however, allowed to
keep my phone with me. In these instances, I would go on different social media
applications to communicate with friends and family. Although they were not
physically present in the room with me, my phone gave me the opportunity to
feel as if they were. Due to this I developed an attachment to my phone,
because to me, having my phone was equivalent to having my friends and family
with me.
Though this example may be on the more extreme side of the
spectrum, it does illustrate the depth in which people are able to create bonds
with technology. Other examples may include online dating, email, texting, etc.
In Sherry Turkle’s essay titled, “Aspects of Self”, she mentions how people also
tend to develop a set of different identities when interacting with others
online and on social media. This is because the internet allows people a space
to explore themselves and recreate themselves into a different person to fit
their own ideas of how they should be or wish to be. Turkle explains that, “Many
more people experience identity as a set of roles that can be mixed and
matched, whose diverse demands need to be negotiated” (Turkle 180).
Sources: Turkle, Sherry, “Aspects of the Self”, Simon and Schuster,
New York, NY, 1997. Print.
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