Sherry Turkle: Connected, but alone?

http://www.ted.com As we expect more from technology, do we expect less from each other? Sherry Turkle studies how our devices and online personas are redefining human connection and communication -- and asks us to think deeply about the new kinds of connection we want to have.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/translate

If you have questions or comments about this or other TED videos, please go to http://support.ted.com

• Category

  Science & Technology

[mad10over6]

The irony of people "discussing" the impact of this talk using an anonymous, text-based communication system is almost painfully acute.

[carayzehsquirrel]

I hate to say it, but it's you that misses the point :( She's not arguing that being happy is bad. The problem is over-reliance on technology for happiness doesn't work within the dynamic of human relationships.. and what people need because they're human. People not *truly* connecting with each other is a problem. People aren't giving nor getting what they need from human interactions. Go rethink her example of parents limiting communication to just what they're comfortable with to their child.

[5P3C7R3]

Yeah, that's right. Go to the pub with friends. Alcohol will make you happy.

Worst.example.ever.

[harish tunki]

its not that we feel enslaved by technology if we like and invent for our benefit. so it better to be a slave to technology rather than to other humans, cause technology wont hurt emotionally people hurt. And technology can not survive without humans so i would say its mutually dependent and technology is very good and its the epitome of human evolution and leads to survive human race in future.

[twan domnat]

she's not saying "technology is bad," you misunderstood her speech. She doesn't care how advanced your robots are and will be, she cares about how we, the human, benefit by the technology, not being enslaved from something we invented.

[harish tunki]

I don't think technology is bad as a matter of fact i can't go and listen to this speech in other side of the world but i can with the technology. technology saves time, efforts, money. It may not give the personal touch but once technology is completely developed may be we can have robots almost like human beings. if i want to have a girlfriend like madonna how she was in her younger ages i can buy a robot of her which does what ever she could really do.

[ARTZY64]

No.

[Kimmehface]

Being alone isn't the problem...but when you are reaching out for social media and texting constantly you are not really "alone"...that is what she calls "alone together" and that's damaging. If you are alone and have hobbies you like to do by yourself that just makes you an introvert and theres nothing wrong with that at all :)

[Kimmehface]

Profound. Thanks for this insight!

[567Land]

I use this video in a 7th grade technology class I teach. It is called "Digital Citizenship," looking at the big concepts in technology. For the 3 day unit on "Digital Communication," I use this video to help students see the value in unplugging themselves from the near constant bombardment of stimuli and connectivity. While her TED talk is geared toward an educated adult audience, most of the concepts are within my students' reach.

Thank you Sherry.

[FubakaNG]

I cannot fit in this post how many ways she nailed the biggest problem in our society today. Bravo!