"Reclaiming Conversation" Podcast Review

Sherry Turkle in her book, "Reclaiming Conversation," argues the time is right to reclaim conversation. Photo Courtesy: Olivia Esparza

Before the birth of the Internet, before texting and iPhones, and before the introduction of Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media apps, Sherry Turkle was studying how technology impacts us.

Turkle, clinical psychologist and MIT professor, examines these effects from many angles. Most significantly, her work examines how new technology affects our interactions with other humans.

"Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk In A Digital Age" paints a bleak portrait of the harmful effects that comes from an over-reliance on machines and describes how this over-reliance has become ubiquitous.

Turkle's suggests we re-examine how we use technology and how it influences our relationships. From parents to teachers to young children, everyone is affected by this broad shift in using our screens for comfort and to avoid real conversations.

Turkle describes the virtues of face-to-face conversation — its power to build intimacy, its spontaneous nature, its role in fostering creativity, its open-endedness, allowing for deeper insight — and how new technology has challenged our ability to relate through conversation.

She structures her book around Henry David Thoreau’s concept of three chairs: one chair for solitude, two chairs for friends and three chairs for society. Turkle writes that these three arenas are all being negatively impacted by digital communication.

I teamed up with Wayne State University junior, Susana Hernandez, to do a podcast review of Turkle's book. In the podcast, Hernandez and I dive into the premise of the book, the structure, and what we liked and disliked about the book.

Here is a video of Turkle hosting a TED Talk in 2012. Turkle discusses how our devices and online persona are redefining human connection and communication. She asks us to "reclaim conversation" and to think deeply about the attachment we have with our phones.

Also check out Marble Jar Channel's book summary and review of "Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk In A Digital Age."

To hear our podcast, click on the link below:

https://soundcloud.com/susana-hernandez-126142083/book-review-reclaiming-conversation