elearnspace

The End of Solitude is an interesting essay. It induces, in me at least, that odd mixture of “yes! that’s it!” and “no, not at all”. In periods of solitude and reflection, the world seems more real to me than it does in periods hustle, distraction, and busy-ness.
I partly agree with the author that: “we live exclusively in relation to others, and what disappears from our lives is solitude. Technology is taking away our privacy and our concentration, but it is also taking away our ability to be alone.” But it is over-stated. I admit I start twitching slightly when I have lost an internet connection for a while. My uneasiness with being disconnected is not due to social reasons. A large part of my thinking happens in conjunction with the internet – I’m constantly searching citations, sources, articles, resources I’ve tagged, and more. My connectivity is not only socially to other people, but intellectually to the work of others (much like reading a book is an intellectual connection to an author). The concept of how the self relates to the crowd and how much time we allot for reflecting and creative thinking is important. I see that as related more to personal habits than technology.