The American Dream

Brehanna Johnson

Dr. K. Gavand

English 1020

It's been said that technology is becoming a problem in young children lives. The main thing that is becoming a problem is cell phones and the internet. Sherry Turkle describes in her essay "Can You Hear Me Now" "How technology robs kids of that moment to grow up and be responsible for themselves " (275). Turkle made some good points, but I don't think that she touched on the good advantages of having a cell phone.

In the beginning she explains how cell phone gives teenagers new freedom, but doesn't give any examples about how cell phones give teenagers new freedoms. Then she instantly starts telling how cell phones don't give a child a chance to grow up and be responsible. In others words she tells how cell phones protect children from the real world. "With parents a tap away children think differently about themselves (275). Turkle basically stated that children began to create a new life threw technology a world that isn't really reality.

Next she continues to describe how cell phones can create a different life for children or even adults for that matter. She explains how everything is related to a text, call, or i.m. She tells us how "cell phones are a communication culture, but not a culture of self reflection" (276). She ends the article by stating that self reflection depends on having emotion, experiencing it, and choosing to share it with another person. Questions such as "who am I? Who are you? Are reformatted for the small screen and flatten out in the process" (276). For me when she stated that I felt like she was saying that teenagers today and even adults life are being modified to technology.

Turkle over looked what I considered to be a important point about cell phones. She didn't really touch on the good advantages of cell phones. She basically said that its gives teenager's new freedoms and that was it. For me if she felt it gave teenagers new freedoms she should have elaborated on it.

For me cell phones are something that is becoming something that every person should have with them at all times. Turkle doesn't talk about how cell phones can help you in that time of growing up or being responsible. I look at it like the parents are being responsible, because at the end of the day they are still children anything could happen while they are not under supervision. Cell phones give children a sense safety to be able to dial 911 is something goes wrong. Turkle explains that cell phones protect the children from the real world. If anything cell phones keep children connected to the real world because we as society have to remember these are just children they shouldn't be exposed to everything all at once.

I do think that cell phones or technology can create