HW 16: Big Paper 1 Outline

Thesis:

Online social networking tools such as instant messaging, twitter, facebook, texting (not really online) etc. have made it harder for us to read people by eliminating the physical aspect of interaction and making it easier for others to develop a second personality.

Argument 1:

For some, computer screens act as barriers that help us avoid the type of physical confrontations we fear. This shield allows us to create a virtual identity where we become the person we've always wanted to be. The comfort of being behind a phone or a computer screen knowing that the person on the other side of it can only interpret us through our written words makes it easier to express whatever message we want to put across. Therefore, it helps to deceive others of our true personas, making it more difficult for them to evaluate us for the person under the mask. " We put up these false identities- ones that make us appear more charming, and our lives more exciting. When we talk through the internet, for the most part, we go through meaningless conversations, and pretend like we're getting closer to person(s) and understanding them more" (Andy L.).

In Wall-E we see obese people riding around in hoover chairs non-stop talking to one another through a screen. When one man falls off his chair and Wall-E introduces himself to him, he hesitates for a moment before introducing himself because he isn't used to talking face-to-face.

Argument 2:

Even without an intended purpose to fool the person of your identity, communicating digitally through just written texts just isn't as effective a representational device as let's say the earlier DRDs, such as the phone or T.V. where at least some sort of physical aspects are shown. "Regardless of how truthful we are about portraying ourselves through the internet, the inaccuracies in reading are always greater in amount than those when talking to someone face-to-face" (Andy L.). Written words don't come with a tone of voice therefore, it is hard to convey a sense of urgency, sarcasm, sillyness etc. This causes confusion for the person trying to interpret its meaning. For example, I always try to be careful whenever I'm talking to someone online to make sure they never interpret my comments as mean if I didn't actually mean it. Maybe that's why people type "Lol" or "Jk" so much, to lighten the mood and let the other person know not the take it offensively. For example, "Whatever" can be misinterpretted as anger or rudeness if an "Lol" isn't added after it.

Rachel said, " In order to be the real you, I think you need to be attached in a physical sense." By taking away the physical parts of communication, such as our voice, body language, and the pauses in the conversation, we're taking away all the factors that we usually account for when judging a person. If all we had were words, the chance of understanding one another would be dim.

In Feed, we see that the communication between Violet and Titus is more of a face-to-face affair, at least more so than the other characters in the book. Maybe that's why they were able to gain a deeper connection than the other relationships in the book.