Book review: Sherry Turkle laments the disconnected lives that our connected future might bring
The psychologist explores the ironies of our smartphone age, when we are more reachable than ever before - but in some ways ever more isolated
by Sherry Turkle
Penguin Press
Smartphones are ruining relationships. If you don't agree, read Sherry Turkle's and you'll begin to see the corrosive impact on human communication lurking in your handheld device.
Turkle offers example after example of how digital communication has altered not just the way we convey information, but the emotional context as well.
Turkle is a clinical psychologist and director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self. Her books include , and .
In , she weaves anecdotes and insights from three decades of researching the psychology behind how people use technology.
Children today communicate using texts, social media and emails, but their ability to relate to other people has declined substantially. They fail to develop empathy, emotional intelligence or social bonds. It's no wonder online bullying is widespread, considering that kids can spit insults at each other and never see hurt on another child's face.
Kids often pick up their habits from adults. Turkle relays the story of a family where the children are banned from bringing their phones to the dinner table, but the mother spends the meal checking emails.
