Category: Unit 2

Jonathan Franzen, the author of the article, describes the concept of love vs. like from a new for me perspective I have never thought of. And really, with the modern world technologies and applications it is very tempting for many users to create  really likable and admirable profiles. Luckily, I am not much of social media user, but I do have friends  who took all the advantages of modern technological filters to create the most ideal picture of themselves. Sometimes I have an impression that these people are really in love with themselves, which makes me sad and uncomfortable.  I agree with the author’s distinction of love vs. like. As any other, I do own a phone, and not just outdated device but I try to tend to the latest technologies. The main reason to that is not the lust for new pocket friend, though it is a very satisfying feeling to unbox the newest gadget and put it to a test, but mostly, it makes my life a bit easier. I can do my work (like drafting, visualization, and building 3D models), video chat to my parents who live far away, do financial operation, skipping the lines in banks, from any place. I simply just like it, it eases my life, and, to be honest, I more appreciate it than like it ( I still prefer to work on my desktop). But I also could go days without it, especially, when taking a small vacay in the wild. But for some people it is an essential part of their lives. Everyone has a friend who wouldn’t let his/her phone out of hands even if there is a party and friends just talk to each other. In my opinion these are unhealthy relationship between a human and technology. It makes human to become a slave of technology. Eventually those people lose their real friends, and fall in love with the virtual world they have created.

In the article that  Franzen wrote I do agree with some of the things that he said, I do believe that social media causes a fake sense of reality. I don’t believe that it causes everyone to be egotistical or self-centered. I do agree with his like vs love concept because in the article he speaks about people trying to be likable because it creates this fake personality that’s “rewarding” for the person and I think that’s completely true when it comes to the internet. we see this happen with celebrities like robin Williams , he put on a fake smile during his whole career and unfortunately ended up taking his own life because in reality he wasn’t happy but I believe he felt pressured and felt like he had to pretend to be happy and likable for his fans. I also agree with Franzen’s views on love , when he says you can’t love every possible particle of someone but you can love that person’s real self and personality. Love is something that you can only experience in real life in my opinion and you’re actually forced to deal with your feelings as opposed to being on the internet and just being able to block someone or report something. My relationship with my phone does not concern me because me personally I don’t really have an internet persona , I don’t post on any of my social medias and I only use my phone to really contact my friends. Also technology is made to help society not hurt, but sometimes there are just some unexpected withdrawals. I believe the developers intentions were to always help connect us with each other , I do think them making apps addicting on purpose by collecting data on us is kind of scum baggy though because at that point they don’t really care about their users or their privacy , they just care the amount of users and how they can profit from them.

In the essay, the writer talks about the distinctive differences between liking and loving something. He referred to the term like by comparing it to that of an infatuation felt when receiving a new piece of technology, such as a smartphone, for him it was a BlackBerry Bold at the time. He had experienced that feeling of excitement with the idea of having the new device until a new one emerged then that excitement was subdued. He later went on to describe what it was like loving something by sharing his experiences. He had fallen in love with birds as a result of the initial interest he had in the natural world and by extension, the environment. The deep feeling of passion or affection he had for birds changed the outlook he previously had on the environment because rather than merely being a scene he enjoyed; it was now seen as the habitat for the animals he loved.

I do agree with the writer’s concept of like versus love as I share the same sentiments. When the Samsung Note 10 came out in 2019, I was super excited to get one however, after merely having it for two years, I did not really care for it anymore and that excitement was now centered around the newest released version which was the Samsung S20. The writer mentions the narcissistic tendencies of technology in the sense that people are now so focused on their outward appearance as well as being liked rather than being their true self because showing one’s real self would mean showing not only the good but also the struggles which could often lead to rejection.

The relationship I have with my phone does make me a little concerned because it’s as if I would go ballistic if I lost it or something happened to it. This all came from the daily usage and attachment that was developed overtime however, I am confident that if a break were taken from the use of the device, some form of adaptability would have been developed and as such not having a device would no longer be a big deal anymore.