Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other
Also known as Alone Together (Turkle)
Sherry Turkle's 2011 study of how robots and phones change human connection.
At a glance
Key ideas
Simulated feeling, Distracted together, Privacy
See all 3Reception
TED
Connections
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- Turkle explores how technology is changing the way people communicate.
- The first part looks at robots designed to simulate emotion and warns that they may stand in for people and animals in emotional roles.
- The second examines social media and phones, arguing that constant distraction makes relationships shallower.
- She argues people use technology to escape from reality and emotion, weakening genuine relationships.
Why it matters
- It became a central book in debates about smartphones, social media and loneliness.
Key facts
Key ideas
Reception
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TED1
Turkle's 2012 TED talk "Connected, but alone?" was on the book's subject.
Connections
Written by
Sources
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