Connected But Alone

With access to unlimited information and multiple platforms to communicate through, people are more comfortable communicating through devices than in real life. In her TED talk, Shirley Turkle mentions that actually using this technology to communicate can make us more isolated which can cause one to panic, fidget and get anxiety when they are without their device. Constantly feeling the need to be connected with someone but not just face to face interactions, but through SMS, calling, Facetime and socials networking sites. Turkle says that “if we are not able to be alone, we’re only going to be more lonely. And If we don’t teach our children to be alone, they are only going to know how to be lonely.” We don’t know how to be by ourselves anymore, enjoying time without any distractions, in solitude. If we are seeing this now, what is it going to be like for future generations? I agree with Turkle. We don’t need to cut technology out (nor can we), but as a society, we need to change the way we use technology and reclaim not only solitude but face to face interactions to make sure we do not lose human connection.