ENTERING THE CONVERSATION

1. Explain how Clive Thompson’s (p. 789) term “ambient intimacy” (par. 12) could be applied to the teenagers that Sherry Turkle profiles in the selection from Alone Together (p. 801).

2. How might Clive Thompson, the author of “Brave New World of Digital Intimacy” (p. 789) respond to Tim Egan’s (p. 807) description of “[t]echnology, with its promise of both faux-intimacy and a protective sense of removal” (par. 4) or his claim that the “Internet is the cause of much of today’s commitment-free, surface-only living” (par. 13)?

3. Of these authors—Clive Thompson (p. 789), Sherry Turkle (p. 801), or Tim Egan (p. 807)—who would likely agree or disagree with the last two lines of Sherman Alexie’s poem “Facebook Sonnet” (p. 811)? Why?

4. How would Leonard Pitts Jr. (p. 831) and/or Robbie Cooper (p. 813) address Alexis C. Madrigal’s (p. 827) concept of ideas being “public,” “persistent,” and “attached to one’s real identity”?

1. A lot of the texts in this Conversation deal with the idea of “intimacy,” which we might define as “a close, familiar, and usually affectionate relationship with another person or group.” To what extent is true intimacy possible or not through digital communications technologies as compared to face-to-face communication? Refer to two or more texts from the Conversation as well as Cyrano de Bergerac (p. 667).

2. Look back at the cartoon, “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog” (p. 666). Regardless of whether this statement is true or not, is this something that we want to be true? In other words, explain how at least part of the appeal of the Internet is that we can control and shape our identities online to a greater degree than we can in offline encounters. Be sure to refer to at least two or more texts from the Conversation, as well as the Central Text, Cyrano de Bergerac (p. 667).

3. Knowing that there are both dangers and benefits that result from Internet anonymity, do you believe that there should be requirements for people to use their real names online? What restrictions or exceptions, if any, should be in place? Refer to the arguments put forward by Alexis C. Madrigal and Leonard Pitts Jr., as well as any other relevant texts in this Conversation.

4. Because of the prevalence of digital communications in our lives today, to what extent is it necessary to continue to make distinctions between how we communicate online versus offline? Is this distinction being made mostly by people nostalgic for the “old days” before the Internet, or are there genuine concerns about the changing nature of our communications as a result of the Internet? In your response, be sure to refer to at least two texts from this Conversation.

5. Developments and innovations in communications technologies always have some kind of effect. After the invention of the telephone, people wrote fewer letters, and with the invention of texting, people are making fewer phone calls, changing the way that we interact with others. With the rise of instantaneous and constant communication via social media, there must be some kind of effect on the relationships we make, maintain, and discard. What is the effect of technology on our relationships? Overall, is technology creating a more positive or negative connection for us? Be sure to refer to at least two texts from this Conversation in your argument.