The Sherry Turkle Literature & Language Essay Paper

Sherry Turkle
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Institution
Sherry Turkle
Technological developments have contributed largely to the changes in the ways human beings interact. Just a few years ago, great value was placed on one-on-one interactions whereby people interacted freely while sharing their thoughts and feelings. However, with the advancements in technology and especially the introduction of computers, mobile devices and robots, a lot has changed. Instead of discussing issues with one another, humans have now turned to machines as a source of answers for everything. Humans consult, seek answers and get services from machines in a way that indicates that the same machines have devalued our social and cultural lives. Often, individuals run to these machines in order to make up for what society fails to provide regarding love, closeness, and friendship. Generally, poor social interactions have led to emotional starvation that has, in turn, led to the overdependence on machines.
The fact that people have reverted to confiding in machines is an indication that our social and cultural lives have become poor. For instance, Turkle points out that since the introduction of computers, individuals have begun to confide in them even on very personal matters instead of seeking counsel from other fellow humans. An example is the program ELIZA developed by Weizenbaum that assumed the role of a psychotherapist in its interaction with people. With the program, students could ask questions about personal issues and get responses in return even though they were aware that the program neither knew nor understood their stated problems. By turning to the machines for empathy, it means that our social interactions have become poor. It is sad that we expect technology to fill in the emotional void that was created in the actual world. This situation, as Turkle puts it, is expecting less from each other and more from technology.
Apart from proving that the society lacks people to confide in, the article also shows that our cultures and societies make people lonely to the extent of pushing them to seek friendship from sociable machines, toys, and robots. Examples, in this case, are the children who always feel that they have been confined by society and therefore look at machines as the means of moving out of these confines. This fact explains the need for the more alive toys that can respond to the different needs of children. For instance, the article notes that many children showed a preference for a toy that they could talk to such as the Furby. Instead of forming real relationships with each other, children end up forming strong bonds with such toys to the extent of being emotionally attached to them. By pointing out...