The Dark Side of Technolgy

Sherry Turkle addresses head on the very real effects that omnipresent digital technology and constant  "connection" are having on how we behave and who we are. We are more connected and more alone. In an effort to be "everywhere" we are often nowhere. And the effort to not be alone is ironically making us more alone.

In a small way I saw the first hints of this back in 1985 when I was working at a software firm that already used email extensively. I saw how people communicated with an apparent sense of anonymity even though people clearly knew who was sending messages. At that time, what stood out to me was that people were sending messages that were devoid of the body language, of intonation, of the ability to modify or correct a message in real time based on the other person's reaction that is part of a face-to-face conversation.

Today Prof Turkle sees a stronger effect where the focus on digital communication allows for editing, deleting, enhancing - giving us the ability to shape how we are seen in a very controlled fashion.

It is allowing us to be alone together.