A Cooler Self

In chapter 11 of Hamlet’s Blackberry, A Cooler Self, William Powers brings to our attention the works of Marshall Mcluhan. Mcluhan is not only the last philosopher mentioned but he is also what I find the most interesting in my opinion. This chapter stood out to me the most because Mcluahn knew what it was like to be sucked into technology so Powers had, what I would think, an easier time projecting those thoughts he had to all of us rather than getting the information and piecing together what was going on hundreds of years ago with Tables and what not.
Mcluhan is responsible for, “the global village” and “the medium is the message” he knew what was to come in our digital work, those to phrases say so much and are so on point without even having to further explain.
On pages 194-195 Powers explains what Mcluhan’s thoughts were on how we can get away from this technology and how to cut back on it. It was simple, we hold the power to do so, simply, as Mcluhan would say “live more consciously.” Many of us don’t realize we have a problem with technology so it never gets fixed, this is why I am glad I had the chance to read this book. Hamlet’s Blackberry has opened my eyes in so many ways! I noticed since starting this book I am not on my phone as much, I regulate my time because now that I noticed I was always on my cell phone texting and on different social networks I get overwhelmed sometimes if I spend too much time on it. We all need a break once in a while, we all have the ability to remove some of the clutter that technology brings in our mind…..we just need a wake up call.

The Spa of the Mind

In chapter 6, The Spa of the Mind, William Powers talks about how after a long day at work he would watch Jazz videos on YouTube to relax and unwind. We all have that get away we go to at the end of the day, maybe even the middle of the day if our day is that hectic. Do we every actually stay focused on that one get away or do we get distracted by other things? Of course it is easy to get distracted, just as Powers did when we wondered on to looking at advertisements and news headlines he really didn’t even need to know in the first place. Dealing with the internet it is so easy to get sucked in and side tracked by the different things that pop up, it’s even happening to me as I am typing this out.

My get away, as expected, is make up. Make up relaxes me completely and makes me forget about everything for awhile, I get into my zone. Although I would like to make a career out of it and it would then lead to me being very busy, I know I can always count on make up to be my get away. Very much like Seneca, writing was what kept him busy but he had also used writing to block everything out and focus on what really mattered to him! We all have a get away where we are able to step away from everything and “recharge” whether it be playing a sport, taking a walk, or reading a book.  That is what I liked so much about this chapter, it got more into disconnecting and finding oneself while doing so. Seneca teaches that there is more to life than just wanted to stay in the “loop,” we need to focus on keeping that strong peaceful connection with our inner self and focusing on the more important things in life because it is so easy to get caught up in it all.

Walking to Heaven

 

In Hamlets Blackberry, William Powers not only talks about his life and experiences with technology but also the lives of a few great philosophers. Chapter 5 focuses on Plato, the same way Powers has his “Internet Sabbath” Plato also practiced ways to stay connected with people but also took the time to take breaks from the to think from time to time. 
We all need a break once in a while and many of us don’t see it. We always wanted to be connected to find out what is happening next. In the book it is explained how “going outside the walls” would help with that break from people so they had time to themselves to think just as we should turn off our cell phones and computers to “go outside the walls.”
I think if we all kept the same mind set as all of these great greek philosopher then things would be more simple. Our communication skills would be so much better than they are now, we would actually be able to have conversations face-to-face with out any distractions because we would now how to keep that connection going without feeling the need to check out phones to respond to a conversation we are having with someone else via text message.
William Powers asks a very important question in this chapter, “When is the last time you went off with a friends and left the world behind?” This question really stood out to me. How many of us actually leave our cell phones behind when we are out with friends? not too many.. We are always taking a couple seconds out of a conversation or what ever activities we are doing with a friend to check out what is going on with Instagram or Facebook. To me it is really all unhealthy, it is also quite frustrating on how horrible all of our communication skills are getting. I am glad I am realizing this now and having a child soon because when my son is my age I will have had made sure he has it in him that he doesn’t need to always take his phone out, he needs to communicate face-to-face with no problem.

like, like, like

I was just having a conversation about this not too long ago with my younger sister. We have noticed that the amount of attention you get on social networks is based off of how many followers and likes you receive. It really is kind of sad, some really talented people aren’t getting the recognition that they deserve. For example, there are tons of make up tutorials on YouTube but if you only have a few thousand followers versus a million followers what do you think people are going to watch? You can be an amazing make up artist but it is all about the followers and feed back that you get that will get people to take time on you.
Some people actually work for the likes and followers that they have by putting out positive photos, videos, quotes, and blogs while others just take certain revealing photos just for the likes and followers.

In my opinion most people who are promoting certain brands are sell outs, they are doing it for the attention. They want to do it for the money and to become more popular which definitely get to their heads.. I’ve seen it happen before. When doing something you should do it because you are passionate about it, not because you’re going to gain riches and fame.
For me, when I post certain pictures or videos on Instagram it is not for the attention at all. When I post things it is so my followers can enjoy little parts of my life, things I enjoy, make up, hair, nails, things like that. It doesn’t matter to me if I get 300 likes or 10 likes as long as people genuinely enjoy what I post. If people enjoyed it to the point where I was getting passed around Instagram or YouTube and becoming bigger and even getting to the point where I was earning money for things things then of course I wouldn’t be complaining, but thats not why I do what I do.

Gone over board!

In chapter 3, “Gone over board” it begins by telling us how William Powers had moved his family from Washington, D.C. to Cape Cod. Moving was fairly easy because him and his wife were both writers so they weren’t tied down to any specific job place. Keeping in touch with everyone wouldn’t be a problem either due to technology.
After getting settled and trying to back his boat up Powers ends up getting it stuck. Not knowing too much about boats he tries to fix it himself, in the process he ends up falling off his boat. In his pocket he had his wallet and cell phone, he didn’t panic too much until he realized they had gone into the water as well.
For some of us breaking or losing a cell phone isn’t about not having a cell phone for the time being but more about emails, phone numbers, and pictures that are lost. That’s how it was for Powers after freaking out about the phone being in water. He was mainly worried about everything he had just lost and couldn’t get back because he didn’t back his phone up. He then began to realize and feel almost relieved that he was “disconnect.” The problem now a days is that we are so afraid to be disconnected from everyone even if it’s just for a day, let alone a couple of hours. Personally, I think it is good to have that break from technology every once in a while, it’s healthy.

Consumed by Technology

I don’t think many of us actually pay attention to how much time we waste with technology. Personally, I spend way too much time on my cell phone and lap top. I have noticed that when I am having a conversation with one or two people and they get on their phone while I am talk it aggravates me but once they get the chance to talk I am right there doing the exact same thing.
My parents have made it a rule that when we are all in the same room with each other we are not allowed to even look at our cell phones because they want us to focus on spending time with each other. That brings back what Sherry Turkle had said in her lecture, “reclaim certain places for conversation.” That is a great idea and more of us need to start doing that. When my family and I go out to for dinner we notice so many families who are just sitting there on their cell phones not even talking to one another, it’s really sad that no one really pays attention to one another anymore.
Sherry Turkle also mentioned how some people feel that if they don’t stay connected then they don’t feel themselves. I completely agree because my sister is one of those people. My sister always has to be on some kind of device or she gets moody, it’s so unhealthy but that is how it’s getting today with everyone. No one wants to talk face to face just face to screen all of the time.

Hello Mother

In chapter two of Hamlets Blackberry we learn that William Powers mother lives two hours away in Massachusetts. When he travels he likes to fly in and out of a particular airport so he is able to visit his mother on both ends.  Chapter two also explains how easy it is for us to make a simple phone call to let someone know that we will either not be able to make it or that we will be a few minutes late. Take the time to imagine life without cell phones, these phone calls that take a couple seconds to make would turn into 10 minutes due to pulling over, finding change, making the call, getting back in your car, and getting back on the road again.
One of the sentences that really caught my attention was “It’s good to be connected, and it’s bad to be disconnected” I definitely agree. Although being away from ourself phones allows us “The Gap” we need every so often, we also need it to stay in touch with our loved ones when we like. Maybe if we managed our time better on the cell phones we wouldn’t have such a problem with them and we would have more time to get other tasks done and let our mind wonder freely without a little screen in our face all of the time.
This book is really teaching a lot and I cannot wait to read more and maybe apply some of the strategies that William Powers uses in my life.