In his
post “From Gutenberg to Facebook?”, Sean M. argues that Facebook (and I’ll take
the liberty here of applying his argument to all forms of social media) follows
the legacy of the printing press in its spread of information. I couldn’t agree
more. He then goes on to discuss how the development of social media has led to both
greater connection and disconnection from those around us, asking the question
“What would Gutenberg think?” I however, want to focus on the question of “why
has the spread of information led to greater connectedness and disconnectedness
simultaneously?”
The
Renaissance was all about the individual. As humanism took hold, the importance
of the individual gained more and more traction in society. The invention of
the printing press liberated the common man; it made knowledge accessible.
I believe that as more emphasis was placed on the individual, isolation
inevitably would develop. As our focus moves away from groups, individuals
become more defined and easier to find, making it easier to find information on
specific people and then reconnect. But this all stems from the selfish nature
of modern day humanism. Over time, the Renaissance concept of humanism—that is
the importance of the individual within a society—has transformed simply into
the importance of the individual.
Perhaps
we ought to remember the wise words of John Donne, a poet of the English
Renaissance, as we strive to keep our humanism in context. “No man is an
island.”
“What would Gutenberg think?” What an excellent question. What would he think about facebook and the affects that it has had on us. I agree that facebook is a great way to keep in touch with people from far away and from our past but I feel as though it disconnects us too much. our generation and even younger generations are forgetting how to properly communicate with one another and it is a big issue. I think Gutenberg's invention was meant to reach out to everyone. Like you had mentioned, "the common man" and to empower them. It gave them an opportunity to learn and educate themselves. Facebook is fun and great but we could definitely survive without it. Life would be drastically altered without Gutenberg's printing press though. Thank you for writing on this subject. It was very interesting to think about.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a very interesting idea. I agree that this increase of communication may have made more people more isolated and I think it's from their self-conciousness. By posting everything online, it's easy to see what everyone else is doing and so see how we compare to others. Some people may not like that comparison and so get depressed and infact more isolated than connected from others. While I don't think this is social media's fault, I think it's something we can work on fixing. I think the ideal is creating a place where everyone should feel comfortable sharing their ideas and experiences, regardless of how they compare to others. I think you raise a great question and I would love to read more about it .
ReplyDeleteJohn Donne's reminder is so applicable to our society's current situation. As you said, we have become simultaneously connected and isolated through social media. We know where our friends were last Saturday, how much they like cat videos, and what recipes they pinned on Pinterest, but rarely do we use social media to deepen our relationships, to offer sincere comfort, to ask someone how they're doing and receive an honest answer. In highlighting ourselves as individuals, we all want to look our best, at the expense of sharing what kind of people we really are. This can create a sea of lonely islands that are very close together but rarely touch. Perhaps the way to resolve this is to remember, as you mentioned, that it is the individual's relationship and contribution to society that makes a difference, not the individual in isolation.
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