Technology And Relationships In Sherry Turkle's Alone Together

Technology has become an essential part of humans’ lives. Technology affects the lives of a lot of human beings. Sherry Turkle in her essay “Alone Together” presents examples of how technology is affecting lives and changing the way people have relationships. Turkle shows cases where technology has replaced the presence of a human or serve as different way to modify humans’ lives. She expresses her opinion on how people is getting attached to technology and are starting to prefer having interactions with technology over the company of other human beings because of the complications of humans’ relationships. Also on the topic of technological advances and how some technology changes people’s lives, the author Lauren Slater in “Who holds the

People try to change who they are or at least feel they have a chance of being better when they are on the web. Virtual simulation games like Sims and Second Life allow people to live other life. Turkel on her essay writes, “The advertising for Second Life, a virtual world where you get to build an avatar, a house, a family, and a social life, basically says, ‘finally, a place to love your body, love your friends, and love your life’” (263). The publicity of web sites like Second Life helps people with the idea of the possibility of being somebody else. People love the idea of becoming someone better in life. Second Life allows people to experiment how it will be to have all the good things they want to have in life, but it also takes then away from reality. If people are spending their time trying to be someone else on internet then they are forgetting about whom they really are and the value of their authentic identity. The same way people try to be better on the web; people also want to become better using brain surgery. Slater expresses her concern about people’s authenticity and brain surgery when she says, “What will stop neurosurgeons both mercenary and curious from performing these operations on a public clamoring for relief? How long until implants are used to treat milder forms of mental illness? To take this its inevitable step forward, what will stop people from pursuing implants for augmentation purposes?” (242). Technological implants on the brain present people the possibility of improving themselves. People are often concerned about being better than others and may use brain implants to try to be more intelligent or creative. People will go through surgery on the brain to try to modify who they are and be different from their authentic selves. Neurosurgeons have the power of helping people modify themselves with the goal of