Growing Up Tethered Analysis

Sherry Turkle’s main argument in “Growing Up Tethered” is that the new generation of teenagers are “tethered” to their cell phones and technology. She states many issues that teenagers have. She talks about how cell phones change our developmental attraction and growth as adults. Turkle states, “These young people live in a state of waiting for connection. And they are willing to take risk, to put themselves on the line” (Turkle 430). I do believe she is making a logical point that our generation of teenagers are attached to the current technology. We as teenagers, speaking from experience, will be on our phones while driving when we know we shouldn’t, we’re not only risking our lives we’re risking someone else’s just to be connected to our

M.I.T professor, Sherry Turkle published an article “Stop Googling. Let’s Talk” to the New York Times September 26th, 2015. In her article, she focuses on how technology has impacted our interactions with one another. The article also states how our emotions such as empathy are starting to deplenish. In part of the article she goes on to talk about how we can substitute technology with solitude. Sherry Turkle’s article gives the impression that we need to use our advanced technology as a tool rather than silence our natural emotions for those of the virtual world.

Rather than spending time reflecting on themselves and trying to figure how their own feelings and wants, teenagers immediately turn to their friends for their opinions. “The text-driven world of rapid response does not make self-reflection impossible but does little to cultivate it” (172). In the book the girls “shoot” texts to multiple people in hopes that they will get a response in a few seconds. When they don’t receive the results they desire, they send the text to others. Cellphones also make it possible for teens to be kept track of. Parents of this era feel more at ease because their child is simply one phone call away. Since talking to our parents multiple times a day is seen as normal, Turkle fears that that amount of connectivity is preventing teens from maturing and gaining their own sense of

This chapter of Reclaiming Conversation by Sherry Turkle essentially focused on the effect technology can have on the bond of a family. The writer depicts different families to prove how social media has creates a false sense of closeness in family relations, when in reality it drives us further apart. As explained in the section named “Left to their own devices”, a teenager named Alli finds herself in a situation most families are currently in. Alli is not able to rely on her family for emotional support and instead seeks comfort from thousands of strangers online. This is a common situation in which teenagers feel more comfortable going out of their way on social media to obtain advice from strangers, instead of having a conversation with

In Nicholas Carr’s article, “How Smartphones Hijack Our Minds” (November 10, 2017) Carr discusses the implications of allowing our smartphones to have such a huge effect on our lives. Smartphones serve many purposes, and have created massive societal effects throughout the world despite being introduced roughly only two decades ago. One can converse with anyone in the world at any given moment, they can watch any television show they want, and they can receive alerts so they no longer have to put effort into remembering things themselves. However, with so much control over people’s own lives, one begins to wonder about the negative consequences of the smartphones themselves. Carr brings up the question of how our minds can be negatively affected by this when he asks, “So what happens to our minds when we allow a single tool such dominion over our own perception and cognition?” While Carr is aware that the smartphone serves a countless number of useful purposes and tasks, he believes we should think deeper about the lesser known effects of our smartphones which people so easily allow to take over their lives.

Turkle also discusses how people are willing to put their lives in danger such as texting and driving in order to stay connected. Although texting and driving is illegal people continue to do it any way but why? The answer is the need of being connected. While talking with many students who are able to drive Turkle discovers many interesting things. While talking to a male student he says that while he is driving if he gets that Facebook message or text message he will check it even if he is driving. Putting his life at risk does not really matter as long as he stays connected with other people. When Turkle surveys a group of boys they are reluctant but they do say they also text and drive as well. Putting your own life in danger does not really make sense but that is another reason why Turkle believes many people grow up

When people are talking on a cellular phone and walking around, they tend to lose the sense of what is going on around them, which leaves them blind to any potential threat because of carelessness, and they miss the offer that is given at that moment in time. In this article, “Disconnected Urbanism” by Paul Goldberger from the textbook on page 235, Goldberger discusses about people’s usage of cellular phones — today’s one of the most effective technology in the world that have changed people’s lives — talks about how the cellular phones are impacting people who living in a densely populated urban area, how people are now becoming disconnected from the world around them, and what are causing to their ability to perceive space. He talks about the seriousness of technology in the world to the readers with persuasive and pessimistic phrases from a subjective point of view. In his overall narration, he compares and contrasts between two different main objects to persuade the readers.

use of smartphones are affecting the adolescents of this generation. Jean M. Twenge argues in her article, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” that the redundant use of these gadgets along with social media use is in fact detrimental to the current and upcoming generations. My experience using Snapchat, Instagram, and other applications on my smartphone supports Twenge’s stance because the excessive use of these applications has caused me to feel melancholic. According to Twenge, “Psychologically, however, they (iGens) are more vulnerable than Millennials were: Rates of teen depression and suicide have skyrocketed since 2011. It’s not an exaggeration to describe iGen as being on the brink of the worst mental-health crisis in decades. Much of this deterioration can be traced to their phones” (Twenge). The essence of Twenge’s claim here is that smartphones are causing the iGen generation to be more susceptible to vulnerability in many aspects. In particular, the way it is affecting the mental health of iGens, thus causing the rates of teen depression and suicide to “skyrocket”. Ultimately, Twenge stresses that the excessive use of smartphones is the cause of the increase in rates of teen depression and suicide. Her observation rings true to me because while I do not suffer from depression nor have suicidal thoughts, I can still attest to the fact that as I’ve overused my smartphone

Sherry Turkle has quite an interesting view on today`s “wired” world and the concept of being alone together. Therefore, the author is clearly convinced that the world of technology has deprived us of some of the most basic social skills. Although technology can literally grant us unlimited access to the information of the world in which we live today, I too consider that technology does represent a danger on the way we use to socialize before and now. As a result, Turkle does a marvelous job of introducing her beliefs as well as what it could be consider strong evidence to convince her readers making her argument a reasoning sound.

In the article, “Stop Googling. Let’s Talk.” by Sherry Turkle, it talks about how the impact of phones and technology has on our conversations and interactions with people. Turkle talks about how now a days people divide their attention between multiple things, but the main two examples she uses are phones and conversations. By diving their attention, people rarely dive into deep conversations. They tend to have shallow conversations with people because they are constantly checking their phones at every vibrate or ring, which, in shallow conversations allows them to go in and out of the conversation without missing any important details. Turkle states that, “the mere presence of a phone on a table between them (two people) or in the periphery of their vision changes both what they talk about and the degree of connection they feel.” While this may be true, along with the other studies on how technology is detrimental to society, there as also positives aspects that contribute to society as well.

In incorporating a variety of examples in her essay, Turkle asserts that technological dependency is shaping our world. By depicting “young associates…turn(ing) their desks into cockpits,” with a vast array of mobile devices. Specifically,

To what extent are children and teenagers on their phones and expected to answer the phone as soon as someone calls? Sherry Turkle states in “Growing Up Tethered” that “today’s young people have grown up with robot pets and on the network in a fully tethered life” (430). This essay explains why teenagers in today’s world are hidden behind their phones and don’t have enough space from their parents. Compare teenagers now and teenagers from 30 years ago, they both are in the same situation. Teenagers now and teenagers from 30 years ago have the same responsibilities. Neither one has more to think about than what the other one had in the past/future.

When technology becomes too apparent in society, people become isolated from each other. Leonard’s daily routine is to go on a walk during the night. “Mr. Leonard Mead was a lone figure walking in the street.” (174). Often during his walks he reminisces about how he used to see other people out walking or interacting with others, because he never sees other humans outside. Too much technology in the story has led to people not wanting interact with other human beings. Likewise, life on Earth is going in the in the same direction. People who become addicted to their devices become isolated. They do not want to go out and interact with people. Since it is easier to text others, members of society stay home. In

Technology has been expeditiously changing over previous generations. Those born between 1946 - 1964 are classified as Baby Boomers, and from 1995 - 2012 are catergorised as Generation Z. Over the years, youths become more connected to their mobile phones and given up and lost real connections and relationships? The behaviour standards and the influence from Baby Boomers has significantly altered towards the youths over the past decades. Generation Z has an overall population of 82 million worldwide, with the oldest turning 23 and the youngest turning 6 (Robinson, 2018). As part of the research, Shane Lynch was interviewed from the Generation Baby Boomers. He is 57 years old and runs his own business. The technology world is forever changing,

Billions have taken this religion along with their already-held beliefs, practicing both side by side. This new and fast-sweeping religion that we are all a part of is the religion of technology, where people worship the new gods of the internet and the television.