E-Topia
In this book, William Mitchell has placed the current computer and electronic network revolution on human technological change, while emphasizing its importance. Mitchell’s background in architecture and urban planning, as well as an obvious keen interest in the ethics of development, contribute to his exploration of the effects of the e-revolution.
He reminds us of different developments of the past and how it has affected people’s lives. For example, he points out that a common gathering place for communities was the village well, where people went not just for water but also for news and to socialize. When water distribution systems were invented, indoor plumbing made it unnecessary for many people around the world to get outside their homes at all to meet their need for a fresh supply of water. However, the need for social interaction remained, and people started meeting at public squares, cafes, and marketplaces, often at or near the sites of the old wells.
He also points out that before central heating and electricity for lighting, families gathered on cold days and in the evening in one central room with a large fireplace. This in turn facilitated social interaction of the families. Gas pipe systems started to change this, and now light and heat are available at any time of day or night in every urban area through the electric and gas supply network. Family members no longer need to come together to share the fireplace. Everybody can be in their own room and not interact with other members of the family. Even the television is now available in every room, whereas people used to get together to watch movies.
Mitchell argues that even the technological development of our transportation systems has affected many people’s lives, like when people use trains to go to work, their time of socializing with the person they used to walk to work together with is limited.
Similarly, he says that we used to have no choice but to go to a central workplace or theatre or pub, then phones and faxes allowed some activities to take place without face-to-face meetings, and finally the distribution of high capacity digital networks allow many of us to conduct virtually all of our social interactions remotely from our houses.
Mitchell also summarizes the far from perfect environmental benefits of increasing use of digital networks to replace more physical modes of transportation and communication. He explains that by using social networking websites, people can now choose between instant online messaging and e-mails, which can be instant, depending on when the receiver opens the message. Like other technological advances in history, the actions of most humans who have access to new technology is to pick the most convenient modes that are now available based on their benefits.
Finally, he argues that people who are relatively well off will have access to the full benefits of the e-revolution, which will continue to create increasing amounts of wealth for them. Unlike previous times in history, those of different economic classes may be increasingly physically isolated from each other in their day-to-day lives because technology is developing so fast that they can’t afford to keep up with it.
‘I feel less lonely’ : What older people say about participating in a social networking website
This article consists of results from a pilot project held in Australia. Research on how elderly people could be able to get rid of their depression which is caused by loneliness and methods are described in it.
Loneliness is an increasingly pressing social and health issue that has the potential to influence quality of life of older people. It has also been linked to numerous physical and emotional health problems, such as alcoholism, chronic health problems, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and suicide. In addition , loneliness is linked to life events such as the death of a close friend, as well as disability and illness, thus preventing participation in social activities, resulting in being isolated. In many of these cases, family and friends do not realize that the person is suffering from depression and doesn’t occur to them that they are socially isolated cause they think it is common for an older person to not want to socialize because of their old age and disabilities.
After research and analyzing different dimensions of loneliness, the research team tried out some strategies on six people aged from sixty-nine to eighty-five. One project included all participants being connected to the internet and provided with one-on-one tutoring in how to use computers and most importantly social networking sites. The participants set up accounts on an identified social networking website in order to communicate with family and friends. These sites where aimed to reduce temporal loneliness for older people that live by themselves. Nobody would imagine how much internet and more specifically social networking websites would benefit older people and drive them out of the isolation they are in.
After interviews, it was proven that the elderly people where most in need of social networks, in evenings and over the weekends when there were no other services provided to fulfill their needs. The dimensions emerging from the interviews conducted suggest that loneliness is diverse and complex, bound to the context in which it is perceived, understood and experienced but the internet and social networks has had a great affect on the elderly people as they felt more connected with the ‘outer’ world at times when they can’t socialize other ways.
The University of South Australia and Griffith researchers that participated in this pilot project, recommend that people focus on the prevention of loneliness at all ages but especially when it is most need, like when you are of old age and cannot attend events or physically keep socializing. Who would have thought that social networking would have been such a useful tool for non- e-revolutionists?
Do social networking websites isolate or connect?
This book and journal were chosen cause of how different they are. In E-topia, Mitchell highlights the fact that by technology developing, people’s lives changes radically and if they are not fortunate enough to keep up to date with the e-revolution, they will end up feeling isolated, having in mind that the majority of people communicate by e-mails and social networks more than the usual meetings in cafes and places other than cyber chats. On the other hand, the journal article about a pilot project in Australia notes how much social networking improved elderly people’s lives and making them communicate with people from around the world and most importantly with their families a lot easier.
There’s been some contradictory research as to whether the Internet is more socially isolating or more socially connecting. In a previous study that I have found it is proved that the Internet time was cutting into socializing and television watching. According to the most recent research however, it appears that this isn’t entirely the case. The Internet brings people together, adding one more communication skill, it doesn’t take anything away from anyone, especially how social somebody can be.
The cyber world expands people’s social networks and encourages people to meet people from all over the world, with different cultures. Using the internet to socialize, makes you a bigger connector which then allows you to get help on health care, financial and other decisions because they have a larger set of people to which to turn to. Social network also help people maintain their communities and friendships from earlier on in their life, even if it means that they have to communicate to people far away. Nowadays, it is also possible to use Facebook, Twitter etc to find old school friends and generally people you wouldn’t have kept in touch with over the years.
In my opinion, emails supplement other means of contact like face to face meetings and not replacing it because despite of all the advanced technology, people still need that special contact. For example, people who email most of their closest friends and relatives at least once a week are more likely to see them more often than somebody that doesn’t communicate with others anymore. People nowadays shift between face-to-face, phone and internet very easily cause their lifestyles have changed.
Bibliography
Ballantyne.A, Trenwith.L, Zubrinich.S and Corlis.M, ''I feel less lonely'': What older people say about participating in a social networking website, 2010,UK, Pier Professional. (Journal Article)
Mitchell.W, E-topia: ''Urban life, Jim- but not as we know it'', 2000, Cambridge, The MIT Press (Book)
Grohol. J. M, http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2004/12/31/internet-use-cutting-into-tv-viewing-and-socializing/ (Website)
