Sherry Turkle Connected, But Alone?

Connected but alone

Sherry Turkle in her TED talks “Connected but Alone” argue that technology has increased the distance among people. Although the purpose of technology such as smartphones was to provide an opportunity for bringing them closer the reality is different. People have become addicted to texts and they love it but this can be problematic. The purpose of technology was to allow people to understand themselves and their identity. Everyone is entrapped in this text culture but ignores the tragedy associated with it.

Today the technology is destructing human relations. Everyone is dependent on cell phones. Teenage kids and even elders sleep with cell phones. It just portrays that human existence has now become impossible without this gadget CITATION Tim15 \l 1033 (Adams). Technology is taking us to the places where we don’t want to go. Turkle makes the case by relying on her experience of research in mobile communications. After conducting interviews with hundreds of people she uncovered the facts that makes technology more adverse than beneficial for the society or the people.

Technology has changed who we are by transforming our identities and reality. She states, “those little devices in our pockets are so psychologically powerful that they don’t only change what we do, they change who we are” (Turkle). What we like to do with these devices would have been odd a few years ago. Texting is not only part of personal lives but also involved in all aspects such as corporate meetings. Today people are using Facebook or text during presentations or classes and also during meetings. In doing so people are unable to recognize the importance of personal interaction such as eye contact. More adverse is that parents are doing texts during breakfasts and at dinners. They even ignore that the children are not receiving full attention from their parents.

The society is transforming rapidly due to technology. The negative implications are not only affecting the lives of youth or elders but it also deteriorates the behavior of children. This is because they are seeing everyone using mobile devices and are inclined to do the same CITATION Ran16 \l 1033 (Cohen). They sit with other fellows in the same room but ignore each other. Everyone is busy with their little gadgets and neglects to pay full attention to each other. They get together but are not being together. “we are getting used to of being alone together” (Turkle). This is the darkest side of technology and its implications on humans. People don't leave an opportunity for texting because they are fond of it. The text at marriages, funerals and everywhere.

Technology is not only damaging our relationship with real people but also causing self-destruction. Turkle claims, "we remove ourselves from our grief or from our revery and we go into our phones" (Turkle). This behavior may be adopted for relieving ourselves from stress for the time. But we are neglecting the long-term damages that it might have on us. What we do on devices might not be real and it is not our world. But most of the cell phone users are denying the reality and confine themselves to this dangerous world.

The discussion of Turkle addresses the repercussions of technology. Increased dependence of society and people of every age group on devices have disconnected them from each other and from reality. When they are with others they are elsewhere. This means they are not paying attention to who is around them. Such behaviors will cause self-destruction and create distance among people. The conversations today maintained through texts are lacking face contact. Technology has changed the meaning of interactions that is harming everyone.

Work Cited

BIBLIOGRAPHY Adams, Tim. Sherry Turkle: ‘I am not anti-technology, I am pro-conversation’. 2015. 10 04 2019 <https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/oct/18/sherry-turkle-not-anti-technology-pro-conversation>.

Cohen, Randy. “Why Texting is Wrong?” New York Times (2016).

Turkle, Sherry. Connected but alone? 2012. 10 04 2019 <https://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together?language=en#t-261127>.