Response Questions
Question 1
Kevin Lincoln makes a significant point about where people draw a line between technology and their physical form. In particular, responding to Lincoln’s provocation is difficult. In the digital era, many individuals use electronic devices in almost everything they do. These gadgets have become an extension of people’s mind. Therefore, knowing one’s nebulous identity is hard (Lincoln). In my opinion, my identity constitutes my physical appearance, behavior, voice, and everything that trace back to me. However, all these things are present in the social media networks. The boundaries of oneself begin from the individual, but it has no end, particularly with the use of the Internet.
Question 2
Currently, people have a reciprocal relationship with their smartphones. Not only do these devices facilitate individuals’ access but also enable the world to get information about people. The big technology companies such as Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft are the ones controlling the behaviors of many people. Moira Weigel and Lincoln suggest that one of the ways we can limit the scope of influence from such corporations is avoiding the use of electronic devices and the Internet when doing everything (Lincoln). Although it might be hard, individuals should limit their social media identities by not sharing everything they come across in their lives on the web.
Question 3
According to Leslie Jamison, “Second Life” offers users a total immersion in other worlds, paradise of one’s devising, friendships, and a promised future, which might be hard to get in a real world. Jamison affirms that “Second Life” is not more real than the physical world. In reality, the platform is driven by user-generated content (Jamison). People use it to create online identities that are distinct from their real lives. For example, the author says that “Second Life” has become a magnet for mockery. Besides, the platform makes people forget about important things in their lives such as eating because they are dancing in an online club.
Works Cited
Jamison, Leslie. “The digital ruins of a forgotten future.” The Atlantic, 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/12/second-life-leslie-jamison/544149/. Accessed 14 Jan. 2019.
Lincoln, Kevin. “Where is the boundary between your phone and your mind?” The Guardian, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/09/tech-mind-body-boundary-facebook-google. Accessed 14 Jan. 2019.