Like it or not, technology is a huge part of our cultural environment (as we’re witnessing at a mass scale in these unprecedented times).
Step one: Watch this. It’s twenty minutes, so put your feet up and get comfortable. As a disclaimer, when some watch this, your brain may be going, “but, but, but….” so if your brain is in the ‘want to argue’ space, I get it…try to listen to her concerns with an open mind.
https://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together
Step two: Put your phone/laptop/etc. away (and by ‘away’ I mean, don’t even take it with you, it needs to be in a different room) and go have a conversation with someone in your life, for a minimum of fifteen minutes. (They do not have to put their stuff away.) For those of you sheltering in place with someone – please do this version of the assignment. For those of you who are on your own right now, feel free to use FaceTime, Zoom or another face to face platform, but close down all other electronic inputs in your immediate vicinity.
Step one: Watch this. It’s twenty minutes, so put your feet up and get comfortable. As a disclaimer, when some watch this, your brain may be going, “but, but, but….” so if your brain is in the ‘want to argue’ space, I get it…try to listen to her concerns with an open mind.
https://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together
Step two: Put your phone/laptop/etc. away (and by ‘away’ I mean, don’t even take it with you, it needs to be in a different room) and go have a conversation with someone in your life, for a minimum of fifteen minutes. (They do not have to put their stuff away.) For those of you sheltering in place with someone – please do this version of the assignment. For those of you who are on your own right now, feel free to use FaceTime, Zoom or another face to face platform, but close down all other electronic inputs in your immediate vicinity.
- What do you notice about yourself during this conversation?
- What do you notice about your interactions with the other person?
Now, pulling supporting evidence from from the text and/or outside sources, write a minimum two page reflection paper. I am looking for a minimum of at least two references from the text (Communication Between Cultures) /video/another source. In the first half of your paper, tell me about how technology impacts our communication with each other in general (in positive and negative ways) and reflect on how your “tech free” conversation went. In the second half, explain to me a few ways technology can benefit and impede intercultural communications specifically.
