Sherry Turkle

Alone Together

1. IDEA 1

   Connection can leave us lonely

   Turkle, a psychologist at MIT, argues that digital technology lets us feel connected while making real intimacy harder. We expect more from technology and less from each other. Our devices promise company but often deliver distance.

2. IDEA 2

   Robots offer companionship

   Turkle describes children and elderly people forming bonds with sociable robots. She worries that people accept machines as substitutes for human care. She asks whether a machine's attention can really stand in for the care of a person.

3. IDEA 3

   We are ready for robots

   Turkle describes the robotic moment, when people become willing to accept relationships with machines. This, she argues, says more about us than about robots. The readiness to accept such machines shows what people feel is missing in their lives.

All 8 ideas from Alone Together →