Sherry Turkle: "We're losing the raw, human part of being with each other"
5 hours ago
- #social_robots
- #technology_and_society
- #human_interaction
- Sherry Turkle is a professor at MIT who studies how people interact with machines and is concerned about the delegation of human interaction to robots and technology.
- Turkle's research began in the 1970s when she observed students describing their minds using computer metaphors like 'debugging'.
- She tested social robots on children and found that they formed significant emotional bonds, which could lead to distress when the robots failed.
- In her book 'Alone Together', Turkle argues we are at a 'robotic moment', delegating vulnerable life stages to technology, which she sees as risky.
- Turkle highlights issues like parents being distracted by phones, leading to increased playground accidents and children feeling lonely.
- She notes that technology allows people to present idealized versions of themselves online, but at the cost of losing raw, human connections.
- Despite being initially seen as pro-technology, Turkle is now viewed as a naysayer, but she emphasizes her conclusions are based on 15 years of research.
- Turkle believes people may eventually reclaim privacy and real relationships, though the allure of technology makes this challenging.