QUESTIONS ABOUT DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY

The following is from Bruce Arrigo, Professor of Criminal Justice at UNC Charlotte, and one of the presenters at the Symposium to be held on March 28th.  Bruce brings up many questions for all of us to think about. I think I share some of Bruce's concerns. Although I have to say that when it comes to these issues I worry about worrying too much and I worry about not worrying enough. Maybe Aristotle was right- it's all about finding the right balance. Anyway here are some of Bruce's thoughts. If you have something to say in response please do so. If you want to hear more about these issues contact the Ethics Center about attending the Symposium.

-Mark Sanders



I've never blogged before. By the way, I very rarely text message, don't use myspace or facebook, and I don't even know what twitter is, really. Skyping may have some appeal for me; although, I've never done this either. I struggle to understand why digital "connectivity" must be constant, ubiquitous, and always derivative. I struggle to understand how such connectivity grows our humanness. Maybe that's not its purpose. But, what does this connectivity teach us about social relationships and the experience of friendship, love, community, courage, etc., especially if the message is always in the form of a cyber-code that re-presents our identity through the laws of the informational age? It seems to me that forms of social media and networking are changing how we relate to one another. Is it for the better? Hospital patients now have a bar code placed on their wrists that is scanned every time the patient receives a medical service. Radio frequency identification technology ("tagging") is used to track the movement and activity of released offenders. Political lobbyists create "fictionalized" media-manufactured images of candidates that morph reality and identity into pseudo-states of existence. And these non-realities and non-identities are the bases on which campaigns are fought and elections are won.

Are we adapting to the conditions of cyber-technology as evolutionary psychologist might suggest? Who are we becoming in the digital age and what is the quality of our humanness given this  adaptation?     

-Bruce Arrigo