This week marks the 2nd Annual Wormhole Week celebrating advances in science and all the amazing stuff those geniuses come up with!
For 2014, the theme is to name one
thing where science advances mankind, and one where the same technology
with unforeseen consequences will go too far and set mankind back.
My selection is something that's been coming up a lot lately within my work (I'm a therapist): social media. My clients will talk about time they spend on Facebook and I keep running into the same phenomenon: it's actually disconnecting people. Rather than having an actual conversation, a REAL connection, we are instead connecting with these surface-level representations of people. Sure, I can see pictures of your kids and I can catch up on what's going on with your hobbies but I'm not actually connecting with you.
The real danger (or least the issue that's coming up most often within my sessions) is that we see these presentations and we think that counts as connecting. I sent a text, I left a comment, I posted a link- I connected. But did I really? Then why do I still feel so lonely?
A ridiculously intelligent woman named Sherry Turkel talked about this at great length (and with far more eloquence than I can manage) in 2012 and although it's a long video (20 minutes), it's so WORTH it to watch.
"We expect more from technology and less from each other."
I appreciate the irony that this blog is in and of itself a form of social media. I like to think that you all reading this post and leaving me your comment makes us connected on some level- but it's never going to replace the need for me to spend time snuggling with my sweetie, hugging my friend and having an actual face-to-face conversation complete with all the stumbles and slip ups that mark my humanity and let the other person see the unedited me. That's what technology cannot give us. We need to connect, for real.
Celebrating the release of Escalation by Stephen Tremp.
Together, Breakthrough, Opening, and
Escalation follow the lives of the unlikely participants from innocence
to a coming of age through sacrifice, betrayal, passion, lust,
unconditional love, and hope. Escalation is an international thriller
and will appeal to fans of modern-day science fiction, action, horror,
and a bit of romance for the ladies.
(Click the pic above to get yours!)
