Turkle and Wesch-Allies or Opponents?

What is the relationship between Turkle and Wesch? Do you see them as allies or opponents in this discussion of new media and technology?

    Turkle and Wesch have similar viewpoints. Turkle feels that people use technology to self-isolate and control their environments. Wesch sees his students in this self-isolated state and worries that they are just going through the motions to get through their education.

    Turkle in both her article, "The Flight From Conversation" and Ted Talk is concerned that the new media and technology of today are isolating society in that people may be together in a room but as they are focusing on their phones and other technology, they are not really making powerful connections with each other. People are losing social skills such as making eye contact and engaging in small talk. Turkle relates that people say that they want to make friends and establish relationships with others, but are hesitant to because they do not want to interrupt others who are on their own tech device and find more comfort just in controlling their environment by engaging only in their scripted social media worlds. Society is struggling with how to connect with others and as a whole are continuously distracted. Welsh would agree.

    Welsh and Turkle are allies in this discussion of new media and technology in that they both are worried about it. However, the two are opponents in their view of how to address the situation. Turkle as an MIT professor envisions a society where people may resort to robots and other virtual tools to bring companionship, comradery, and comfort. Technology is taking us places that we do not want to go to go and they are changing who we are. She sees a future in a self-care tech market where people turn to their tech tools for help. I see meditation sites and self-therapy sites advertised on Instagram so these tools are already here. Welsh on the other hand wants educators to do more with student engagement and use 21st-century teaching techniques to get students to become more invested in their education. By presenting students with the big ideas of the course he captures interest. Utilizing group projects using tech tools he fosters a classroom community where relationships are created and students are invested in their educational process. He believes in managing the student environment so that students are empowered by learning rather than subjected to it.