Sherry Turkle is the Abby Rockefeller Mauze Professor of the social studies of science and technology and the Director of the Initiative on Technology and Self Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is also a clinical psychologist who has spent the last 30 years researching the psychology of people’s relationships with technology. Her many books include a trilogy on digital technology and human relationships: The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit; Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet; and most recently, Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other. Turkle’s investigations span from the early days of personal computers to our current world of robotics, artificial intelligence, social networking, and mobile connectivity, and in a recent round table at the Aspen Ideas Festival she gave some very thoughtful insights into the culture of social networking and the eroding effect it is having on our ability to experience solitude in our lives. As she points out, the concept that “loneliness is failed solitude” is of real cause for concern in a world where the technology of social networking is revealing itself to have a dangerous dark side that is impacting the mental health of millions of people. The clip is in the link below, but Turkle’s thoughts also reminded me of an article I posted recently entitled “The Power Of Solitude: New Research Reveals The Benefits Of Alone Time” which you can read HERE. And to watch her roundtable clip here’s the link:
TO WATCH TURKLE’S INSIGHTFUL PERSPECTIVE CLICK HERE.
