Sherry Turkle’s “Alone Together” explored many interesting topics about how humans are becoming more alone as we spend more time with robots and technology. Sherry makes some great points throughout the novel and even inspired me to stay off the screen as much as possible.
Turkle illustrates how far away from normal communication that modern society has become due to technology. Turkle states “ we often talk to each other on the move and with little disposable time - so little, in fact, that we communicate in a new language of abbreviation in which letters stand for words and emoticons for feelings.” This statement shows that we have become less emotionally connected with one another as we use half words to replace entire sentences. Turkle shows how spending time on your phone can affect your conversation skills and empathy towards others. Turkle says “We don’t ask the open-ended “How are you?” Instead, we ask the more limited “Where are you?” and “What’s up?” These are good questions for getting someone’s location and making a simple plan. They are not so good for opening a dialogue about complexity of feeling. We are increasingly connected to each other but oddly more alone: in intimacy, new solitudes.” This shows that Turkle believes that technology's ability to connect us has only weakened our emotional connection and intimacy between each other. Turkle shows how cell phones and modern communication has hurt the bridge of emotions between the people of our modern society.
Turkle shows a lot about how technology has emotionally distanced modern society and makes many great points. She has inspired and almost scared me to put down the electronics that I so commonly use and find someone to have a real conversation with. I agree with Tukles idea that abbreviations have hurt our emotional communication. I have recognized this problem and am I attempting to use fewer abbreviations when I message people or simply communicate with them in general. Turkle has some very key ideas in her book that can be very helpful to societal emotional connection if these ideas are taken to heart and used as Turkle wished.
Sherry Turkle’s “Alone Together” spoke of many interesting topics about how technology and robotics can buffer the connection between the modern societies emotions. Many of Turkle’s ideas offer helpful solutions to the emotional block created by technology and have helped me use as little technology as possible and speak to other people with true emotion.