400 – 500 Word Draft:
Digital technology is a vital aspect of most people’s lives today. Whether it is being used for work or for personal enjoyment, screens have become a regular part of life. Technology pries a lot of people, kids especially, from having vital conversations. In turn, this negatively impacts the social skills and empathy of these kids. Furthermore, it causes these kids to be more lonely. Sherry Turkle, author of “The Empathy Diaries,” highlights this point in her essay; she states that conversations strip us from our skills and abilities to converse with one another. It is interesting to consider how Turkle’s outlook on this matter is different from most considering she’s a professor at MIT. Conversations are a way of self reflecting, through the exchange of information and experiences between people. They are very beneficial for mental health. Conversation also allows people to become more relatable with one another; it allows people to be more comfortable with their identity and who they are. Additionally, conversations provide social skills that technology can’t give you. Many professions and jobs require conversations, so losing out on those conversations can be very detrimental in the future. Conversation over technology is not the same as face to face interactions. Missing out on in-person conversations will result in many lost social skills that will come back to hurt these kids later in life. While technology has many benefits, it also causes many issues, especially in education, that are detrimental to kids around the world.
Conversations allow for a possibility to self-reflect and to be more comfortable with one’s identity. Turkle agrees with this idea, she claims that, “Of course, this virtuous circle is an ideal type, but taking that into account, it works. Solitude reinforces a secure sense of self, and with that, the capacity for empathy. Then, conversation with others provides rich material for self-reflection. Just as alone we prepare to talk together, together we learn how to engage in a more productive solitude” (348). Conversations are relatable and that assists people on their introspection. Having a conversation is brave, because it makes one vulnerable. It is easy to type an email or text to someone, however having a conversation in person you aren’t able to delete and alter the conversation into the perfect wording. Turkle’s wording of “more productive solitude” provides an interesting point of view of how conversation inspires people towards improvement when they’re by themselves. Conversation leads to mental clarity. Empathy, as also pointed out by Turkle, is increased when conversing with someone else. Maybe this is because you’re taking time out of your day to listen to someone else. It’s putting your needs on hold to make sure that someone else is okay. Over the course of Turkle’s essay, she demonstrates how conversations are being replaced by technology, and it causes people to stop self-reflecting, which in turn affects their comfort with their identity.
800 Word Draft:
Technology is a vital aspect of most people’s lives today. Whether it is being used for work or for personal enjoyment, screens have become a mundane part of life. My experience at school has been a telling sign of the increasing usage in technology over the years. From handwriting notes, and turning in sheets of paper for homework it has now become typing and turning assignments in on google classroom or brightspace. How could all of these positive facets of technology result in its usage being even questioned? Technology pries a lot of people, kids especially, from having vital conversations. Conversations are a way of self reflecting, through the exchange of information and experiences between people. They are very beneficial for mental health. Conversation also allows people to become more relatable with one another; it allows people to be more comfortable with their identity and who they are. Additionally, conversations provide social skills that technology can’t give you. Many professions and jobs require conversations, so losing out on those conversations can be very detrimental in the future. While technology has many benefits, it also causes various social and psychological issues that are affecting many people over the world.
Conversations allow for a possibility to self-reflect and to be more comfortable with one’s identity. Turkle agrees with this idea, she claims that, “Of course, this virtuous circle is an ideal type, but taking that into account, it works. Solitude reinforces a secure sense of self, and with that, the capacity for empathy. Then, conversation with others provides rich material for self-reflection. Just as alone we prepare to talk together, together we learn how to engage in a more productive solitude” (348). Conversations are relatable and that assists people on their introspection. Having a conversation is brave, because it makes one vulnerable. It is easy to type an email or text to someone, however having a conversation in person you aren’t able to delete and alter the conversation into the perfect wording. Turkle’s wording of “more productive solitude” provides an interesting point of view of how conversation inspires people towards improvement when they’re by themselves. Conversation leads to mental clarity. Empathy, as also pointed out by Turkle, is increased when conversing with someone else. Maybe this is because you’re taking time out of your day to listen to someone else. It’s putting your needs on hold to make sure that someone else is okay. Over the course of Turkle’s essay, she demonstrates how conversations are being replaced by technology, and it causes people to stop self-reflecting, which in turn affects their comfort with their identity.
Technology is easy, and controllable compared to in person conversations. In emails, or text messages you are able to delete and add words to make your sentence the best possible in the situation. Whereas for in person conversations, one isn’t totally able to control the outcome of the conversation. Turkle adds to this conversation through the perspective of a 16 year-old whose lack of empathy due to technology was noted, “Programmable worlds can be made exciting, but they also offer new possibilities for a kind of experience that some began to call friction-free. Newton’s laws need not apply. Virtual objects can be made to simply glide along. And you, too, can glide along if that’s how things are programmed” (346). This passage demonstrates how kids these days prefer to live their life through technology because it is easier. Turkle mentions how technology is programmed; in this programmed world, one can simply “glide along.” While this feeling of ease and comfort is understandable, these kids are being removed from any adversity and difficulties they may face later in life. This highlights one of Turkle’s main points in her essay; technology is removing people from valuable situations that will come to negatively affect them at some point in their lives. Additionally, these kids, with decreasing amounts of conversations, will grow up to have worse social skills. Whether you’re interviewing for a job, or talking to your manager or coworkers, social skills are so important later in life. Technology is negatively affecting many peoples’ ability to converse in person, but also their ability to deal with hardships.
According to Turkle, increased use in technology strips us from conversation, our most “fundamental human value;” resulting from this, we see people with a less empathetic personality. Turkle points this idea out in several passages, “Without conversation, studies show that we are less empathetic, less connected, less creative and fulfilled” (350). Turkle’s wording demonstrates how technology results in less humane feelings for not only others, but ourselves as well. It strips us of our empathy, and additionally makes us feel less fulfilled. Adding onto this idea, Turkle informs us that teachers at Holbrooke School believe their students are “not developing empathy in the way that years of teaching suggested they would” (345). The teachers, and Turkle, believe that these decreasing signs of empathy are at the hands of an increased use in technology. Turkle claims that technology, or perhaps more specifically a lack of face-to-face interactions are causing kids to not develop empathy at the same rate that kids did before technology.
1,000 + word draft:
Matthew Dewhurst
Professor Jesse Miller
English 110
16 February 2024
How Technology Negatively Affects Us
Digital technology is a vital aspect of most people’s lives today. Whether it is being used for work or for personal enjoyment, screens have become a regular part of life. Technology pries a lot of people, kids especially, from having vital conversations. In turn, this negatively impacts the social skills and empathy of these kids. Furthermore, it causes these kids to be more lonely. Sherry Turkle, author of “The Empathy Diaries,” highlights this point in her essay; she states that conversations strip us from our skills and abilities to converse with one another. It is interesting to consider how Turkle’s outlook on this matter is different from most considering she’s a professor at MIT. Conversations are a way of self reflecting, through the exchange of information and experiences between people. They are very beneficial for mental health. Conversation also allows people to become more relatable with one another; it allows people to be more comfortable with their identity and who they are. Additionally, conversations provide social skills that technology can’t give you. Many professions and jobs require conversations, so losing out on those conversations can be very detrimental in the future. Conversation over technology is not the same as face to face interactions. Missing out on in-person conversations will result in many lost social skills that will come back to hurt these kids later in life. While technology has many benefits, it also causes many issues, especially in education, that are detrimental to kids around the world.
Conversations allow for a possibility to self-reflect and to be more comfortable with one’s identity. Turkle agrees with this idea, she claims that, “Of course, this virtuous circle is an ideal type, but taking that into account, it works. Solitude reinforces a secure sense of self, and with that, the capacity for empathy. Then, conversation with others provides rich material for self-reflection. Just as alone we prepare to talk together, together we learn how to engage in a more productive solitude” (348). Conversations are relatable and that assists people on their introspection. Having a conversation is brave, because it makes one vulnerable. It is easy to type an email or text to someone, however having a conversation in person you aren’t able to delete and alter the conversation into the perfect wording. Turkle’s wording of “more productive solitude” provides an interesting point of view of how conversation inspires people towards improvement when they’re by themselves. Conversation leads to mental clarity. Empathy, as also pointed out by Turkle, is increased when conversing with someone else. Maybe this is because you’re taking time out of your day to listen to someone else. It’s putting your needs on hold to make sure that someone else is okay. Over the course of Turkle’s essay, she demonstrates how conversations are being replaced by technology, and it causes people to stop self-reflecting, which in turn affects their comfort with their identity.
Technology is easy, and controllable compared to in person conversations. In emails, or text messages you are able to delete and add words to make your sentence the best possible in the situation. Whereas for in person conversations, one isn’t totally able to control the outcome of the conversation. Turkle adds to this conversation through the perspective of a 16 year-old whose lack of empathy due to technology was noted, “Programmable worlds can be made exciting, but they also offer new possibilities for a kind of experience that some began to call friction-free. Newton’s laws need not apply. Virtual objects can be made to simply glide along. And you, too, can glide along if that’s how things are programmed” (346). This passage demonstrates how kids these days prefer to live their life through technology because it is easier. Turkle mentions how technology is programmed; in this programmed world, one can simply “glide along.” While this feeling of ease and comfort is understandable, these kids are being removed from any adversity and difficulties they may face later in life. This highlights one of Turkle’s main points in her essay; technology is removing people from valuable situations that will come to negatively affect them at some point in their lives. Additionally, these kids, with decreasing amounts of conversations, will grow up to have worse social skills. Whether you’re interviewing for a job, or talking to your manager or coworkers, social skills are so important later in life. Technology is negatively affecting many peoples’ ability to converse in person, but also their ability to deal with hardships.
According to Turkle, increased use in technology strips us from conversation, our most “fundamental human value;” resulting from this, we see people with a less empathetic personality. Turkle points this idea out in several passages, “Without conversation, studies show that we are less empathetic, less connected, less creative and fulfilled” (350). Turkle’s wording demonstrates how technology results in less humane feelings for not only others, but ourselves as well. It strips us of our empathy, and additionally makes us feel less fulfilled. Adding onto this idea, Turkle informs us that teachers at Holbrooke School believe their students are “not developing empathy in the way that years of teaching suggested they would” (345). The teachers, and Turkle, believe that these decreasing signs of empathy are at the hands of an increased use in technology. Turkle claims that technology, or perhaps more specifically a lack of face-to-face interactions are causing kids to not develop empathy at the same rate that kids did before technology.
According to Turkle, people unsuccessfully use technology as a coping mechanism for loneliness. Technology is a way that people believe they can combat loneliness. In turn, however, technology only makes people more alone and isolated. Turkle highlights this point when writing, “We are so accustomed to being always connected that being alone seems like a problem technology should solve” (348). This passage demonstrates how technology is a way of reconnecting with people. Whether that’s through contacting them or using technology to hide from the fact that they’re in fact alone. This returns to an earlier point, technology is used as a mask to hide from one’s true feelings or thoughts. While this idea from Turkle only calls attention to the use of technology in regards to loneliness, she later points out how this is detrimental. Turkle writes, “And we like to hear them because if these are the only stories that matter, then we don’t have to attend to other feelings that persist – that we are somehow more lonely than before, that our children are less empathic than they should be for their age, and that it seems nearly impossible to have an uninterrupted conversation at a family dinner” (349). Turkle underscores the declining social abilities that kids are having due to technology. From her writing we are able to draw that kids are less empathic and more lonely. So clearly the use of technology is not working when it comes to fighting loneliness. Furthermore, Turkle concludes the excerpt with “it seems nearly impossible to have an uninterrupted conversation at a family dinner.” This not only hints at a lack of social skills that kids should have, but it also illustrates how technology is an addiction. This addiction is negatively affecting kids, and causing them to be more lonely and less empathetic.
Over the course of Turkle’s “The Empathy Diaries,” we see a recurring theme of a lack of empathy and deterioration of social skills, stemming from the overuse of technology. Turkle highlights technology almost as an addiction and a drug. She demonstrates through investigations at highschools and from personal experiences that kids use technology as a way of hiding. Technology provides a way for kids to escape from their identity. Turkle believes that technology strips us from our communication and ability to converse with one another. If technology is something that we use to combat loneliness, or mental health problems then does that say something about lack of attention and resources to these matters? Digital technology usage should be monitored and limited. Using technology with too much frequency will result in a decrease in our humane values such as empathy and social skills. I believe that schools and parents should be doing everything they can to limit the use of technology. Currently, in my experiences at school everything is done on a computer now. Let’s bring back the days of worksheets and handwritten notes. Let’s encourage conversations over solitude through digital technology. An overuse of technology is causing people around the world to lose some of the social skills and values that define us as humans. Technology slowly strips us away from who we are.
Final Draft:
Matthew Dewhurst
Professor Jesse Miller
English 110
16 February 2024
The Negative Impact of Digital Technology
Digital technology is a vital aspect of most people’s lives today. Whether it is being used for work or for personal enjoyment, screens have become a regular part of life. Technology pries a lot of people, kids especially, from having vital conversations. In turn, this negatively impacts the social skills and empathy of these kids. Furthermore, it causes these kids to be more lonely. Sherry Turkle, author of The Empathy Diaries, highlights this point in her essay; she states that a lack of conversations strips us from our skills and abilities to converse, a humanic value that separates us. It is interesting to consider how Turkle’s outlook on this matter is different from most considering she’s a professor at MIT, or Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Conversations are a way of self reflecting, through the exchange of information and experiences between people. Conversations also allow people to become more relatable with one another; it allows people to be more comfortable with their identity and who they are. Additionally, conversations provide social skills that technology can’t give you. Many professions and jobs require conversations, so losing out on those conversations can be very detrimental in the future. Conversation through digital technology is not the same as face to face interactions. Missing out on in-person conversations will result in many lost social skills that will come back to hurt these kids later in life. While technology has many benefits, it also causes many issues, especially in education, that are detrimental to kids around the world.
Communicating through technology negatively impacts people’s social skills due to the risk-free nature of it. In emails, or text messages you are able to alter the wording of the sentence into the best possible in the situation. Whereas for in person conversations, one isn’t totally able to select the best possible vocabulary at the time. Turkle adds to this opinion through the perspective of a 16 year-old, whose lack of empathy due to technology was noted, “Programmable worlds can be made exciting, but they also offer new possibilities for a kind of experience that some began to call friction-free. Newton’s laws need not apply. Virtual objects can be made to simply glide along. And you, too, can glide along if that’s how things are programmed” (346). This passage demonstrates how kids these days prefer to live their life through technology because it is easier. Turkle mentions how technology is programmed; in this programmed world, one can simply “glide along.” While this feeling of ease and comfort is understandable, these kids are being removed from any adversity and difficulties they may face later in life. This highlights one of Turkle’s main points in her essay; technology is removing people from valuable situations that will come back to negatively affect them at some point in their lives. Additionally, these kids, with decreasing amounts of conversations, will grow up to have worse social skills. Technology is not only negatively affecting many peoples’ ability to converse in person, but also their ability to deal with hardships.
Conversations allow for a possibility to self-reflect and to be more comfortable with one’s identity. Digital technology allows people to hide from in-person interactions. Perhaps some people want to avoid this because they aren’t content with who they are and how their life is playing out. Turkle furthers this idea, she claims that, “Of course, this virtuous circle is an ideal type, but taking that into account, it works. Solitude reinforces a secure sense of self, and with that, the capacity for empathy. Then, conversation with others provides rich material for self-reflection. Just as alone we prepare to talk together, together we learn how to engage in a more productive solitude” (348). Conversations are relatable and that assists people on their introspection. Having a conversation is brave, because it makes one vulnerable. Turkle’s wording of “more productive solitude” provides an interesting point of view of how conversation can inspire people towards improvement when they’re by themselves. Conversation leads to mental clarity. Additionally, people stop conversing with others because they’re uncomfortable with who they are. They don’t want to share and make themselves vulnerable because they’re not happy with their identity. Over the course of Turkle’s essay, she demonstrates how conversations are being replaced by technology, and it causes people to stop self-reflecting, which in turn affects their comfort with their identity.
An increased use of technology strips us from in-person conversations, which in turn results in us seeing people with a less empathetic personality. Turkle points this idea out in several passages, “Without conversation, studies show that we are less empathetic, less connected, less creative and fulfilled” (350). Turkle’s wording demonstrates how technology results in less humane feelings for not only others, but ourselves as well. It strips us of our empathy, and additionally makes us feel less fulfilled. Adding onto this idea, Turkle informs us that teachers at Holbrooke School believe their students are “not developing empathy in the way that years of teaching suggested they would” (345). The teachers and Turkle believe that these decreasing signs of empathy are at the hands of an increased use in digital technology. Turkle claims that technology, or perhaps more specifically a lack of face-to-face interactions are causing kids to not develop empathy at the same rate that kids did before this spike in usage of technology.
According to Turkle, people unsuccessfully use technology as a coping mechanism for loneliness. Technology is a way that people believe they can combat isolation. In turn, however, technology only makes people more alone and solitary. Turkle highlights this point when writing, “These days, we see that when people are alone at a stop sign or in the checkout line at the supermarket, they seem almost panicked and they reach for their phones. We are so accustomed to being always connected that being alone seems like a problem technology should solve” (348). This passage demonstrates how technology is a way of dealing with loneliness and boredom. Whether that’s through contacting them or using technology to hide from the fact that they’re in fact alone. It is natural that people want to be connected, so when they aren’t they use technology to deal with the problem, which only worsens the issue of isolation. This returns to an earlier point, technology is used as a mask to hide from one’s true feelings or thoughts. While this idea from Turkle only calls attention to the use of technology in regards to combating loneliness, she later points out how detrimental doing so can be. Turkle writes, “And we like to hear them because if these are the only stories that matter, then we don’t have to attend to other feelings that persist – that we are somehow more lonely than before, that our children are less empathic than they should be for their age, and that it seems nearly impossible to have an uninterrupted conversation at a family dinner” (349). Turkle underscores the declining social abilities that kids are having due to technology. From her writing we are able to draw that kids are less compassionate and more lonely. So clearly the use of technology is not working when it comes to fighting against loneliness. Furthermore, Turkle concludes the excerpt with “it seems nearly impossible to have an uninterrupted conversation at a family dinner.” This not only hints at a lack of social skills that kids should have, but it also illustrates how technology is an addiction. Technology is an addiction that is negatively affecting kids, and causing them to be more isolated and less empathetic.
Sherry Turkle’s opinions put forth in The Empathy Diaries presents an idea of how kids are developing a lack of empathy and deterioration of social skills, stemming from the overuse of technology. Turkle highlights technology almost as an addiction and a drug. She demonstrates through investigations at highschools and from personal experiences that kids use technology as a way of hiding. Technology provides a way for kids to escape from their identity, and judgment from others. Turkle believes that technology strips us from our ability to converse with one another. Digital technology usage should be monitored and limited. Using technology with too much frequency will result in a decrease in our humane values such as empathy and social skills. I believe that schools and parents should be doing everything they can to limit kids’ use of technology. Currently, in my experiences at school everything is done on a computer now. Let’s bring back the days of worksheets and handwritten notes. Let’s encourage in-person conversations over solitude through digital technology. An overuse of technology is causing people around the world to lose some of the social skills and values that define us as humans. Digital technology is slowly strippung us away from who we are.
Work Cited
Turkle, Sherry. The Empathy Diaries. [Penguin Press], 2021.
