Photographs by Peter DaSilva and Byron Smith, for The New York Times
By SHERRY TURKLE
April 21, 2012
WE live in a technological universe in which we are always communicating. And yet we have sacrificed conversation for mere connection.
At home, families sit together, texting and reading e-mail. At work executives text during board meetings. We text (and shop and go on Facebook) during classes and when we’re on dates. My students tell me about an important new skill: it involves maintaining eye contact with someone while you text someone else; it’s hard, but it can be done.
Over the past 15 years, I’ve studied technologies of mobile connection and talked to hundreds of people of all ages and circumstances about their plugged-in lives. I’ve learned that the little devices most of us carry around are so powerful that they change not only what we do, but also who we are.
https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/opinion/sunday/the-flight-from-conversation.html
A 16-year-old boy who relies on texting for almost everything says almost wistfully, “Someday, someday, but certainly, not now, I’d like to learn how to have a conversation.”
Replies
George, In a nutshell if the young ones of today continue with their obsession on those gadgets can you see them noticing the steelpan as an alternative? There has to be some type of disconnect strong enough to sway their interest. The nytimes article would hardly be read by the young ones so I gather the writer is sounding alarm bells for all adults in the hope that parents would take more interest in guiding their offsprings.
Brenda H.
Thanks, Brenda. I agree that young people might not read the NY Times. Have a pleasant day.
BRENDA: ODW is a MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR to PAN MUSIC and THIS FORUM ... so he has LATITUDE to EXPAND the CONVERSATIONS in any direction that he sees as RELEVANT!!!
Well, GEORGE RAMPERSAD is a BIG CALYPSO LOVER and PAN PLAYER and CULTURE LOVER IN GENERAL. So I have tremendous respect for both ODW and GEORGE!!!
Some say PAN STICK and some say MALLET!!!
Thanks, bro. Ah hear yuh...!
Keep safe & stay strong!
When Steel Talks describes itself as follows: "When Steel Talks is dedicated to Pan worldwide. It is an initiative designed to promote the history and culture of the Steelband globally."'
I am not sure how the article "The Flight from Conversation", although very interesting, very well-written and very relevant in today's world, relates to the context of "an initiative designed to promote the history and culture of the Steelband globally."'