Journal #6 Draft (410 words)

If you find yourself feeling more at home in the world of screens, The Empathy Diaries by Sherry Turkle offers a point of view worth serious consideration. Have screens taken away our social interaction skills? Turkle reflects on the impact of screens on humans, especially younger generations, and their ability to empathize and engage with others. The memoir argues that excessive immersion in technology takes away parts of ourselves that we take for granted. Screens replace deep face-to-face interactions with surface level conversations. 

Turkle writes, “It all adds up to a flight from conversation – at least from conversation that is open-ended and spontaneous, conversation in which we play with ideas, in which we allow ourselves to be fully present and vulnerable. Yet these are the conversations in which the creative collaborations of education and business thrive.”(p. 344 pg. 5) To put it another way, she describes that the lack of open-ended and spontaneous conversations have a huge impact on areas such as education and business, that depend on creativity and free flowing, unfiltered, and screen-free communication. These types of conversations encourage collaboration, allowing new ideas to emerge naturally. Through experience, the best collaboration happens through in-person interactions. When ideas bounce off of each other more organically and especially in real-time, I can easily see my team on the same page working in harmony. Ultimately achieving our end goals together. Unfortunately, screen dependency has truly disrupted this idea of in-person harmony, as Turkle describes a “flight from conversation,” we would much rather hide behind our screens in the comfort of only ourselves. Whether it’s a fear to be judged or criticized, or pure laziness, fully present and vulnerable conversations are no one’s priority anymore. During Covid, many became comfortable with work and school at home, due to the flexibility and convenience. This temporary adjustment became a lot of peoples normal ways. When Covid ended, and it was time to return back to in-person ways, people seemed to have forgotten their skills completely. Many also chose to continue on working at home, now that in-person was deemed “optional.” Turkle’s emphasis on vulnerability and empathy really sticks with me. I absolutely agree with those who say these situations are hard and possibly straining, but that only builds our character and helps us grow into the people we are. In today’s world, vulnerability is seen as a privilege to experience from others. I wonder if before screen popularity, this experience was more common.

Draft (817 words)

From the moment we wake up to the second we fall asleep, we are consumed by our technology, shaping the way we think, interact, and even feel—but at what cost? Wake up. Realization is hitting. We consistently allow screens to dictate our daily lives. At the least, being cognizant of this fact may save many from mindless dependency, diminished real-world connections, and the loss of empathic abilities. Immersing ourselves in the truth and the real impacts of screens is illustrated perfectly by The Empathy Diaries by Sherry Turkle. It offers many points of view worth serious consideration. Turkle, a sociologist, clinical psychologist, and professor at MIT, known for her research on the impact of technology on human relationships and psychology believes that awareness and conscious choices can help restore meaningful interactions. In her memoir, she reflects on the impact of screens on humans, especially younger generations, and their ability to empathize and engage with others. The memoir argues that excessive immersion in technology takes away parts of ourselves that we take for granted. Screens replace deep face-to-face interactions with surface level conversations. 

Turkle writes, “It all adds up to a flight from conversation – at least from conversation that is open-ended and spontaneous, conversation in which we play with ideas, in which we allow ourselves to be fully present and vulnerable. Yet these are the conversations in which the creative collaborations of education and business thrive.”(p. 344 pg. 5) To put it another way, she describes that the lack of open-ended and spontaneous conversations have a huge impact on areas such as education and business, that depend on creativity and free flowing, unfiltered, and screen-free communication. These types of conversations encourage collaboration, allowing new ideas to emerge naturally. Through experience, the best collaboration happens through in-person interactions. When ideas bounce off of each other more organically and especially in real-time, I can easily see my team on the same page working in harmony. Ultimately achieving our end goals together. Unfortunately, screen dependency has truly disrupted this idea of in-person harmony, as Turkle describes a “flight from conversation,” we would much rather hide behind our screens in the comfort of only ourselves. Whether it’s a fear to be judged or criticized, or pure laziness, fully present and vulnerable conversations are no one’s priority anymore. During Covid, many became comfortable with work and school at home, due to the flexibility and convenience. This temporary adjustment became a lot of peoples normal ways. When Covid ended, and it was time to return back to in-person ways, people seemed to have forgotten their skills completely. Many also chose to continue on working at home, now that in-person was deemed “optional.” Turkle’s emphasis on vulnerability and empathy really sticks with me. I absolutely agree with those who say these situations are hard and possibly straining, but that only builds our character and helps us grow into the people we are. In today’s world, vulnerability is seen as a privilege to experience from others. I wonder if before screen popularity, this experience was more common. 

As a student – I see this behavior in the classroom daily. At this point, I’m unfazed seeing students blatantly disrespect teachers or even each other. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to have face-to-face interactions in classrooms. Many students prefer to work alone, absorbed in their phones, rather than engage with other students. Turkle includes an important example that the dean at Holbrook School in Upstate New York shared with her. Keep in mind that this interaction was in December 2013, at this point twelve years ago. A seventh-grader trying to exclude a classmate from a school social event was pulled into the dean’s office, her response was disappointing to say the least.  

[The seventh-grader] was almost robotic in her response. She said, “I don’t have feelingsabout this.” She couldn’t read the signals that the other student was hurt. These kids aren’t cruel. But they are not emotionally developed. Twelve-year-olds play on the playground like eight-year-olds. The way they exclude one another is the way eight-year-olds would play. They don’t seem able to put themselves in the place of other children, They say to other students: “You can’t play with us.”They are not developing that way of relating where they listen and learn how to look at each other and hear each other. 

At the same school, students are seen at the dining hall on their phones. When they do talk to each other, their conversations are usually about what’s on their phones. Turkle poses a question: “Is this the new conversation?” (p. 345). She follows up with, “If so, it is not doing the work of the old conversation. As these teachers see it, the old conversation taught empathy. These students seem to understand each other less.” (p. 345)

It’s normalized to crave “doom scrolling,” and take time to “rot,” after doing something subjectively difficult. (…. quote #4)

Draft (1092 words)

Myli Petrocci

Professor Jesse Miller

English 110

18 February 2025

Scrolling into Oblivion: How Technology is Wrecking Our Lives (But We Can’t Stop)

From the moment we wake up to the second we fall asleep, we are consumed by technology. It shapes the way we think, interact, and even feel—but at what cost? Wake up. Realization is hitting. Do we really want screens to dictate our lives? At the least, being cognizant of this fact may save many from mindless dependency, diminished real-world connections, and the loss of empathic abilities. Immersing ourselves in the truth and the real impact of screens is illustrated perfectly by The Empathy Diaries, written by Sherry Turkle. It offers many points of view worth serious consideration. Turkle, a clinical psychologist and professor at MIT, is known for her research on the impact technology has on human relationships and psychology. She believes that awareness and conscious choices can help restore meaningful interactions. In her memoir, she reflects on the impact screens have on humans, especially younger generations, and their ability to empathize and engage with others. The memoir argues that excessive technology use takes away parts of ourselves that we take for granted; such as social skills and general awareness. 

Turkle writes, “It all adds up to a flight from conversation – at least from conversation that is open-ended and spontaneous, conversation in which we play with ideas, in which we allow ourselves to be fully present and vulnerable. Yet these are the conversations in which the creative collaborations of education and business thrive.”(p. 344 pg. 5) To put it another way, she describes that the lack of open-ended and spontaneous conversations have a huge impact on areas such as education and business, that depend on creativity and free flowing, unfiltered, and screen-free communication. These types of conversations encourage collaboration, allowing new ideas to emerge naturally. Through experience, the best collaboration happens through in-person interactions. When ideas bounce off of each other more organically, especially in real-time, I can easily see my team on the same page working in harmony. Ultimately, achieving our end goals together. Unfortunately, screen dependency has truly disrupted this idea of this “in-person harmony,” as Turkle describes a “flight from conversation.” We would much rather hide behind our screens in the comfort of only ourselves. Whether it’s a fear to be judged or criticized, or pure laziness, fully present and vulnerable conversations are no one’s priority anymore. During Covid, many became comfortable with work and school at home, due to the flexibility and convenience. This temporary change became the new normal for many people. When Covid ended and it was time to return to in-person activities, both children and adults seemed to have completely forgotten their social skills. Many chose to continue on working at home, now that in-person was deemed “optional.” Turkle’s emphasis on vulnerability and empathy really sticks with me. I absolutely agree with those who say these situations are hard and possibly straining, but that only builds our character and helps us grow into the people we are. In today’s world, vulnerability is seen as a privilege to experience from others. I wonder if before screen popularity, this experience was more common. 

As a student – I see this behavior in the classroom daily. At this point, I’m unfazed seeing students blatantly disrespect teachers or even each other. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to have face-to-face interactions in classrooms. Many students prefer to work alone, absorbed in their phones, rather than engage with other students. Turkle includes an important example that the dean at Holbrook School in Upstate New York shared with her. Keep in mind that this interaction was in December 2013, at this point twelve years ago. A seventh-grader trying to exclude a classmate from a school social event was pulled into the dean’s office, her response was disappointing to say the least.  

[The seventh-grader] was almost robotic in her response. She said, “I don’t have feelings

about this.” She couldn’t read the signals that the other student was hurt. 

These kids aren’t cruel. But they are not emotionally developed. Twelve-year-olds play on the playground like eight-year-olds. The way they exclude one another is the way eight-year-olds would play. They don’t seem able to put themselves in the place of other children, They say to other students: “You can’t play with us.”

They are not developing that way of relating where they listen and learn how to look at each other and hear each other. 

At the same school, students are seen at the dining hall on their phones. When they do talk to each other, their conversations are usually about what’s on their phones. Turkle poses a question: “Is this the new conversation?” (p. 345). She follows up with, “If so, it is not doing the work of the old conversation. As these teachers see it, the old conversation taught empathy. These students seem to understand each other less.” (p. 345)

Hiding behind our phones has become a serious social barrier. We find ourselves turning to our phones for multiple reasons. We’re plain bored, the situation is awkward, standing in line, or waiting for literally anything. Even walking past an intimidating group at school, I find myself or others pulling out their phones to keep their eyes down. It’s become second nature, possibly due to our brain chemistry and how we react to screens. Turkle analyses just that, “…We often find ourselves bored because we have become accustomed to a constant feed of connection, information, and entertainment. We are forever elsewhere.” (p. 344) In other words, our minds can’t stand minutes, even seconds without the convenient dopamine hits we receive from our phones. When Turkle says, “We are forever elsewhere,” I resonate with that statement and completely agree. I feel that we’re at the point of no return. It’s possible to heal and overcome this fact, but technology has implanted itself deep into our neurochemical processes. It’s normalized to crave “doom scrolling,” and take time to “rot,” after doing something subjectively difficult. For example, after a long day of classes and homework, my friends and I find that the best way to unwind is to glue our eyes to another screen and endlessly scroll. Wasting a massive amount of time doing so, we lack self care and help. Productivity can be hard after a long day, but I find myself feeling much more fulfilled if I spend my time wisely. Fresh air, exercise, chats with friends, good food, etc!

Screens replace deep face-to-face interactions with surface level conversations. – end paragraph…

Final Draft

Myli Petrocci

Professor Jesse Miller

English 110

18 February 2025

Scrolling into Oblivion: How Technology is Wrecking Our Lives, But We Can’t Stop

From the moment we wake up to the second we fall asleep, we are consumed by technology. It shapes how we think, interact, and even feel – but at what cost? Wake up. Realization is hitting. Do we want screens to dictate our lives? At the least, being cognizant of this fact may save many from mindless dependency, diminished real-world connections, and the loss of empathic abilities. The truth about screens and their real impact on them is effectively illustrated by The Empathy Diaries, written by Sherry Turkle, a clinical psychologist and professor at MIT. She is known for her research on the impact technology has on human relationships and psychology. In her memoir, she reflects on the impact screens have on humans, especially younger generations, and their ability to empathize and engage with others. The memoir argues that excessive technology use takes away parts of ourselves that we take for granted; such as social skills and general awareness. Being the generation Turkle talks about in her memoir that has lost these abilities, I believe reclaiming conversation in the 21st century is a feat the younger generation is capable of but scared to accomplish. 

In an era dominated by communication through screens, face-to-face interactions can feel overwhelming. Many young adults find themselves avoiding potentially awkward or uncomfortable conversation, and retreating behind a screen. Turkle writes, “It all adds up to a flight from conversation – at least from conversation that is open-ended and spontaneous, conversation in which we play with ideas, in which we allow ourselves to be fully present and vulnerable. Yet these are the conversations in which the creative collaborations of education and business thrive”(Turkle 344). To put it another way, Turkle describes that the lack of these natural conversations has a huge impact on areas such as education and business. Those areas depend on creativity and free-flowing, unfiltered, and screen-free communication. These types of conversations encourage collaboration, allowing new ideas to emerge naturally. Through experience, the best collaboration happens through in-person interactions when ideas bounce off of each other more organically, especially in real time. I can easily see my peers and I on the same page working in harmony when in-person communication is comfortable. Unfortunately, screen dependency has truly disrupted this dynamic. Without communication skills or even motivation to meet with others in person, one can imagine a very frustrating setting. Turkle’s emphasis on vulnerability and empathy in her quote sticks with me. I agree with those who say these in-person situations are hard and possibly straining, but overcoming that fear only builds our character and helps us grow into the people we are. In today’s world, vulnerability is seen as a privilege to experience from others. The younger generation has seemed to fail to appreciate this, and screens have easily taken away that experience. Pushing the younger generation, working on character development, and inspiring them to persevere through these challenges in-person situations have brought upon them, empathetic conversation will be salvaged. 

Children, especially in America, are becoming worse at social interaction as excessive phone use takes over their mental capacities. This constant distraction not only hinders their ability to communicate effectively but also negatively impacts their academic performance. Turkle takes time to observe Holbrooke School in Upstate New York, a middle school where teachers convey to Turkle, “It is a struggle to get children to talk to each other in class, to directly address each other. It is a struggle to get them to meet with faculty”(345). Reaching out to these schools is a powerful move by Turkle to fully analyze these students. Furthermore, their behaviors support her call to action. I agree that screens are the reasoning behind their behaviors, and that outreach like this will hopefully emphasize the need for reclaiming conversation. As a student, I see this behavior in the classroom daily. At this point, I’m unfazed by seeing students blatantly disrespect teachers or even each other. Many students prefer to work alone, absorbed in their phones, rather than engage with other students. Turkle includes another important example from Holbrook School, where the dean shares a student’s display of outrageous behavior. Keep in mind that this interaction was in December 2013, at this point twelve years ago. A seventh-grader trying to exclude a classmate from a school social event was pulled into the dean’s office, her response was disappointing, to say the least.  

[The seventh-grader] was almost robotic in her response. She said, “I don’t have feelings

about this.” She couldn’t read the signals that the other student was hurt. 

These kids aren’t cruel. But they are not emotionally developed. Twelve-year-olds play on the playground like eight-year-olds. The way they exclude one another is the way eight-year-olds would play. They don’t seem able to put themselves in the place of other children, They say to other students: “You can’t play with us.”

They are not developing that way of relating where they listen and learn how to look at each other and hear each other(345).

This quote should undoubtedly make readers feel concerned. The excerpt highlights the lack of empathy and emotional awareness. Turkle includes this in her memoir so that her readers can reflect on their own experiences and social development. We can recognize our attachments to phones, but from this outward perspective of this interaction, it makes me wonder if we unknowingly act similarly to this. The fact that this quote was taken twelve years ago, further makes me concerned about the 21st century and our ability to recover from the impacts of screens. At the same school, students are seen in the dining hall on their phones. When they do talk to each other, their conversations are about what’s on their phones. Turkle poses a question: “Is this the new conversation?” (345). She follows up with, “If so, it is not doing the work of the old conversation. As these teachers see it, the old conversation taught empathy. These students seem to understand each other less” (345). Although the setback of bringing screens into educational environments has majorly impacted us, educators continue to push students to interact with each other. Finding ways to leave screens out of classrooms will have a positive impact on students. Teaching empathy to students, who will grow to be future leaders, educators, and scientists, will help cultivate a generation that is more emotionally aware, socially engaged, and better equipped with skills to navigate real-world interactions.

Hiding behind our phones has become a serious social barrier. We find ourselves turning to our phones for multiple reasons. We’re bored, the situation is awkward, standing in line, or waiting for literally anything. Even walking past an intimidating group, I find that people pull out their phones to keep their eyes down. It’s become second nature to avoid others by hiding behind a screen. We also find ourselves craving that dopamine rush we get when on our screens.  Turkle analyzes just that, “…We often find ourselves bored because we have become accustomed to a constant feed of connection, information, and entertainment. We are forever elsewhere”(344). In other words, our minds can’t stand minutes, even seconds without the convenient dopamine hits we receive from our phones. When Turkle says, “We are forever elsewhere,”(344) I resonate with that statement and completely agree. Although I don’t feel that we’re at the point of no return, it’s just that first step; being conscious of our continuous action to pick up our screens that we need to leave behind. It’s possible to heal and overcome this fact, but technology has implanted itself deep into our neurochemical processes. It’s normalized to crave “doom scrolling,” and take time to “rot,” after doing something subjectively difficult. For example, after a long day of classes and homework, my friends and I find that the best way to unwind is to glue our eyes to another screen and endlessly scroll. Wasting a massive amount of time doing so, we lack self-care and help. Productivity can be hard after a long day, but I find myself feeling much more fulfilled if I spend my time wisely. Fresh air, exercise, chats with friends, good food, etc. Choosing regularly to interact with others, and less with a screen, is what will save us from fully losing empathetic skills. 

We would much rather hide behind our screens in the comfort of only ourselves. Whether it’s a fear of being judged or criticized, fully present and vulnerable conversations are no one’s priority anymore. I challenge readers and myself alike to make it a priority. Choose to have empathy, choose to relate with others, and choose to make an effort to build the relationships around you. Turkle has chosen to enlighten others with the information and analysis she presents, which is essential to understanding the obstacles we must overcome to reclaim conversation. 

Works Cited Turkle, Sherry. The Empathy Diaries: A Memoir. New York, Penguin Press, 2021.