Reclaiming Conversation

The Power of Talk in a Digital Age

Author: Sherry Turkle

“The very sight of a phone on the landscape leaves us feeling less connected to each other, less invested in each other.” (4)

kids are not emotionally developed - “They make acquaintances, but their connections seem superficial” (5)

“computers offer the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship…the illusion of friendship without the demands of intimacy.” (7)

“We slip into thinking that always being connected is going to make us less lonely. But we are at risk because it is actually the reverse: If we are unable to be alone we will be more lonely.” (23)

Turkle’s argument is: Technology inherently prevents us from being alone, and we need to be alone to think.

• Twitch culture
• Social Media
• Tweeting

The very thing that allows the internet to be such a powerful tool for connection is also the inherent flaw in that tool. Makes me think about Socrates talking about Writing Changes the Way We Think (idea)

Citation

Turkle, Sherry. Reclaiming Conversation: the Power of Talk in a Digital Age. Penguin Books, an Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2016.