Prof. Drogy
Sherry Turkle Summary
Jack Capossela
Cover Letter
Sherry Turkle’s piece states that society and the way kids grow up is changing as a result of increased technological use. Rites of passage that used to exist are now forgone or postponed as these children are “tethered” to their devices and their parents. They’ve become dependent on these devices to assist in finding out who they are as people, and some are unable to figure out who they are because they always have connections with others and no time to reflect inwards. People are introduced to increasing anxiety from this increased communication as well. People try to determine who you are as a person simply from Facebook profiles or online applications and thus …show more content…
Rites of passage that used to exist are now forgone or postponed as these children are “tethered” to their devices and their parents. They’ve become dependent on these devices to assist in finding out who they are as people, and some are unable to figure out who they are because they always have connections with others and no time to reflect inwards. People are introduced to increasing anxiety from this increased communication as well. People try to determine who you are as a person simply from Facebook profiles or online applications and thus lying and telling half truths has become more common in describing oneself. Minute details are becoming determining factors in young people’s lives and as a result they feel nervous about anything they …show more content…
In the opening paragraphs, she notes that students she has spoken to are glued to their devices and see themselves as being inseparable. Some examples of this are when she states anecdotes of the students she’s spoken to “If I hear my phone, I have to answer it. I don’t have a choice. I have to know who it is.” (Turkle 429) “I keep the sound on when I drive. When a text comes in, I have to look. No matter what.” (Turkle 429) these anecdotes serve to prove Turkles point that the youth of today are unable to pry themselves away from contact with their phones, for fear of missing one of the connections they see them as being gateways