BLOG POST 6

The two articles we read were mostly explaining how technology has become how people want to react with other people and how the internet has consumed every aspect of our life. Not only have we turned to emailing and chat and other online websites, like Twitter or Facebook, but we have also learned to escape from whatever our reality might be, either by immersing ourselves in video games, or chatting online with the safety of escaping out of an online Skype session. Like Dewey says in her article, she, like many other people, can “say whatever I wanted and risk awkwardness, because at the end of the conversation, one click of the mouse would shut him out of my room.” (Dewey, 519.)  Even in Richtel’s article he mentions Mr. Campbell who constantly “escapes into video games during tough emotional stretches.” (Richtel, 482). This shows how people are constantly able to escape into technology and not have to worry about “real-life” consequences. Although I find Dewey’s argument to be somewhat accurate, meaning first-hand I’ve seen how people can use the internet to keep themselves safe from others judgement, or make communicating long distances easier, I have a hard time finding her argument persuasive. She does bring up relatable points as to how Skype can make conversations easier, points that I relate to seeing as the first three years of our relationship, I only got to see my wife every month, if that. However, the facts are very sketchy to say the least. She didn’t actually quote the study that she read, which leads me to believe that the study she is supposedly quoting, is either made-up or is being severely fudged. While her fudged numbers definitely lend to her argument, they lack the sufficient report needed by having legitimate sources or any other evidence to back up the argument. The only way that Dewey could possibly really persuade someone of her argument is if they had a similar situation happen throughout their life-time.