Natalie Bell

ENG110

Jesse Miller

Technology and Human Connection: Optimism and Caution

            Technology today is undoubtedly an undeniable force that shapes how people live, think, and even interact with one another. In Technophilia by Kevin Kelly, he believes that technology can expand the human potential, as well as fostering innovation. In contrast, The Empathy Diaries by Sherry Turkle, she warns people how the ways of technology can diminish and weaken human relationships and genuine empathy towards others. Both of their perspectives seem opposing to each other; however, they are both able to capture the essential truths about the impact of technology today, and the role it plays in society. I do agree with Kelly that technology overall is a powerful tool that enhances human proficiency. However, I also agree with Turkle that technology presents many challenges, and they must be addressed to keep meaningful connections and conversations with others.  By looking closer at both of their arguments, examining one’s optimism and one’s caution, it can help us better understand how to embrace these advancements seen today, while avoiding their negative effects on people today. By looking at Kelly’s optimisms for technology and the possibility to enhance human capabilities, as well as Turkle’s caution towards its impact on human relationships, we can understand how to embrace the future for technology and maintaining genuine human connections.

            While looking at Kevin Kellys views on technology, it is shown how he argues that technology today is a driving force that can help expand the human mind and protentional. In Technophilia, he argues that these technological advancements seen today have helped propel society forward. With pushing society forward, it can help enhance efficiency, and even global communication. Kelly also believes that instead of fearing technology, it should be embraced as a helpful part of human evolution, and that we will learn to love it more down the road. Kelly states that “Technology does not want to remain utilitarian. It wants to become art, to be beautiful and ‘useless’” (Kelly 6). He is implying that technology is not only used for practicality, but also used to express ourselves, and creativity. Instead of viewing technology as something for only functional purposes, Kelly views it as further extension of the human imagination. He believes that overtime, today’s society will accept technology more but also embrace it further than it has been today. He explains how “In the future, we’ll find it easier to love technology. Machines win our hearts with every step they take in evolution” (Kelly 9). Kelly implies that while technology advances overtime, society will end up developing a deeper connection to it. This suggests how instead of resisting technology; people will eventually embrace it with open arms. His perspective on this challenges Turkle’s argument, as he argues that technology should not be feared, but should be seen as something that is able to enhance efficiency, as well as creativity within us. My stance on this topic aligns with both perspectives by Kelly and Turkle. I do see the benefits that technology is able to bring into helping with broadening creativity and the overall efficiency, but I also do acknowledge the true importance of setting boundaries with technology so that it does not ruin genuine human connections.

            In comparison to Kellys overall optimism, Sherry Turkle puts forward a more cautious perspective on the impact of technology on people, especially how it affects human relationships, and even empathy which contrasts with Kevin Kelly’s optimism. In The Empathy Diaries, Turkle argues that although the internet has made it easier for communication, and in some ways connection, it has also led to a steep decline in meaningful face-to-face interactions, which are essential to human life. Participating in meaningful face-to-face conversations are a gateway to developing genuine emotional connections. She emphasizes how “we struggle to pay attention to each other, and what suffers is our ability to know ourselves” (Turkle 349).  Her argument shows how people start to rely and become more dependent on communication through technology, ending with them losing the ability to engage in deep and meaningful connections that can lead into further connections with others. Her claim as to how face-to-face conversations impacts out ability to know ourselves implies that technology does not just affect the growth of connections with others, but how we view ourselves, and our personal growth. Without these meaningful in person interactions, people will eventually find it harder to understand their own emotions and themselves. She also believes and warns us that with the progression of technology and how its evolving, there will be a rise of virtual relationships, and it can get rid of our ability to have empathy with each other and even engage in meaningful conversations. She expresses, “Those who understand how conversation works – no matter what their ages – need to step up and pass on what they know” (Turkle 350). Her statement is a call to action for everyone. It urges those who still believe in face-to-face conversations to preserve as well as teach others how to obtain the skills that are needed for empathetic conversations. From my own perspective, I do agree with Turkle’s main concerns about the decline of face-to face conversations that lead to genuine connections. Technology has its benefits; however, it also should not surpass the in-person conversations that creates deep person interactions. There must be a balance in maintaining technology and strong personal connections with one another. If people do not set that boundary with technology, they are at risk of losing the ability to communicate with more meaning to it and will weaken the social bonds with others. Turkle overall argues how important and crucial it is for today’s society to protect and help others with these real-world conversation skills. These skills are fundamental to maintaining the mutual understanding and emotional connections that digital technology tends to overthrow. While Turkle overall emphasizes all the protentional harm of how technology affects personal connections with others, Kelly has a more optimistic view and highlights the positive views on technology today.

            Kevin Kelly and Sherry Turkle offer very different, but also complementary views on the role and impact of technology in modern society. Kevin Kelly believes that technology is not just a tool to use, but something that can help the people for a greater good. He often in his paper explains how in the future, we will learn to love and grow with technology. Whereas Turkle argues that getting too involved with technology can alter the way we approach certain social situations. If we get too sucked into technology, then we can lose ourselves, and how we socialize with the people around us. Kelly states many strong arguments within in paper, Technophilia, regarding his own love and passion for technology, and how it will be able to further expand in the future. Kelly puts in his own perspective many times, and expressed “The net is now vastly wider than me, wider than I can imagine, so in this way, while I am in it, it makes me bigger too. I feel amputated when I am away from it” (Kelly 5). The feeling of as if technology is a part of you, and when it is not in your possession at the time it feels like you lost a vital part of yourself is an amazing way to explain how we feel towards technology today. We rely on technology for daily tasks, like using our phones for alarms to make sure we wake up on time, using our computers for school, and even turning on the television or doomscrolling on our phones if we are bored and need a change of pace. When we go without technology, we feel as if we have lost a part of ourselves. Turkle challenges his ideas by explaining how we need to embrace not using technology all the time and not needing to rely on it as if it is a part of our body and without it, we struggle to function as a human. She expresses how we must find a balance within ourselves and how we approach technology. Turkle states how

“Weather patterns may be changing across the planet in alarming ways, but then you are faced with a beautiful sunny day, one of the most beautiful days you have ever seen, and somehow this makes it easier to put the problem out of mind. Similarly, we now rarely give each other our full attention, but occasionally, we do. We forget how unusual this has become, that many young people are growing up without ever having experienced unbroken conversations either at the dinner table or when they take a walk with parents or friends. For them, phones have always come along” (Turkle 351).

Turkle voices her concerns loud and clearly for all to hear. She expresses how many of the younger generations today do not know what life is like without a phone or even technology in general.  She believes that if people continue going down the path of relying so heavily on technology and not modeling actual conversations with others for the younger generations to come, there will be a hefty price to pay. From my perspective, I do believe that younger generations should be shown how to be away from their phones and be able to converse freely with others without the constant checking of phones.

            Within both passages contrasting so highly of each other, yet also having complimentary viewpoints, they are both sending strong messages to everyone. Both Kelly and Turkle present two unique perspectives on the role of technology in human life, as well as their perspective on its benefits, as well as drawbacks. Kelly’s optimism overall shows how technology can help expand human potentional and even enhancing efficiency. Whereas Turkle has more caution that underscores the overall risk of relying on technology for communication that ends up weakening human connection and relationships. Both of their perspectives do contrast themselves, however they both stress the importance of the overall understanding of technology’s influence on everyone. Overall, people need to maintain a big balance: embracing advancements in technology while also keeping genuine face-to-face connections. By looking at both the benefits and drawbacks of technology, society should be able to work towards a point where technology and human connection are able to coexist without harm to one another.

Works Cited

Kelly, Kevin. Technophilia. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010.

Turkle, Sherry, author. The Empathy Diaries: a Memoir. New York: Penguin Press, 2021.