To connect or not to disconnect : That is the question for many people who rely heavily on digital devices as part of daily life and work.
Despite countless clinical opinions and articles about how lonely our phones make us, a new book suggests that devices make us seek connections when we need more solitude.
In "Reclaiming Conversation," clinical psychologist Sherry Turkle argues that while the use of technology can alienate people from the world around them, it also puts them short on something all humans need: Quiet reflection.
As the New Republic reported, Turkle's argument dovetails with a large amount of recent media coverage extolling the virtues of being alone as a break from the "always on" tech culture.
"On the one hand is the idea that we can't be alone, and on the other, the sense that we are finally learning to be comfortable with it," the New Republic reported. "Our new capacity to document and share means were never quite alone."
But as with so much about the modern digital lifestyles, the impact on the user depends entirely upon how technology is used and the reasons it's used. A 2014 study from the National Science Foundation reported that many people about 25 percent reported not having anyone in their lives they were close enough to confide in. For these people, devices and the social promise they bring may be a comfort where others may find anxiety.
The outcome, as the New Republic pointed out, may be entirely individual.
"When we crave solitude, we dont have to disconnect because using technology can be solitary too," the New Republic wrote. "The question is whether we use it to look out or look in."
Despite countless clinical opinions and articles about how lonely our phones make us, a new book suggests that devices make us seek connections when we need more solitude.
In "Reclaiming Conversation," clinical psychologist Sherry Turkle argues that while the use of technology can alienate people from the world around them, it also puts them short on something all humans need: Quiet reflection.
As the New Republic reported, Turkle's argument dovetails with a large amount of recent media coverage extolling the virtues of being alone as a break from the "always on" tech culture.
"On the one hand is the idea that we can't be alone, and on the other, the sense that we are finally learning to be comfortable with it," the New Republic reported. "Our new capacity to document and share means were never quite alone."
But as with so much about the modern digital lifestyles, the impact on the user depends entirely upon how technology is used and the reasons it's used. A 2014 study from the National Science Foundation reported that many people about 25 percent reported not having anyone in their lives they were close enough to confide in. For these people, devices and the social promise they bring may be a comfort where others may find anxiety.
The outcome, as the New Republic pointed out, may be entirely individual.
"When we crave solitude, we dont have to disconnect because using technology can be solitary too," the New Republic wrote. "The question is whether we use it to look out or look in."
