In the Ted Talk Connected But Alone, author Sherry Turkle talks about how disconnected technology has made us become. We have come so far with technology but it has set us back when it comes to being able to connect face to face. She advocates “Our little devices are so psychologically powerful they not only change what we do, but they change who we are”(Turkle). Theres no denying devices have become a controlling force in many lives today, taking our attention away at times when it matters most. Families no longer just sit down for meals together, they sit down on their phones barely making eye contact and only keeping short, shallow conversations. Devices celebrate they fact that “They let us present the self we want to edit, retouch, and delete” not our true raw selves, she goes further to say “real relationships are rich and messy, but technology cleans that up”(Turkle). So the world around us gets to see one side to us, the edited version we like to believe we are, and only the people we keep closest to us will ever truly know who we are. Although technology is a wonderful thing that has advanced us so far in life today, it has set us back when it comes to having personal connections that make us human.
I agree that that technology has disconnected us as a society and my personal experience with the people around me has confirmed it. At the dinner table with family, going to an event with a big group, or even just a relaxing night with a few friends, our attention seems to be on our phones more than on the people we are surrounded with. Sherry Turkle’s theory about technology letting us present ourselves the way we want to be seen, is extremely useful because we are not showing our true selves. Technology “lets us present the self we want to edit, retouch, and delete” which proves to be true in the world around us today.
I agree with Sherry Turkle as well as Kaleigh, they both make accurate points and reaffirm many of my own beliefs. I’ve had personal experiences showing that we often escape to technology more often than we should. In many cases, technology doesn’t represent the real us. As Kaleigh states in her quote it allows people to edit, retouch and delete themselves. Kaleigh chose a strong quote that validates her point and supports it very well. As a counterargument, technology has been revolutionary for our world today. It allows us to keep in contact with those who we’re unable to physically see, allowing us to maintain relationships that we wouldn’t be able to if we didn’t have technology.