Digital Technology Impact: A Review of 'Alone Together' and 'The Web'

This essay provides book reviews of Sherry Turkle's 'Alone Together' and Nicholas Carr's work on the internet's impact on the brain. Turkle's book highlights the damaging effects of digital technology on interpersonal relationships, leading to social isolation and decreased intimacy. Carr's research focuses on how the internet rewires the brain, potentially reducing focus and critical thinking abilities. The essay emphasizes the need to address these concerns to safeguard future generations from the negative impacts of digital technology and promote healthier relationships and cognitive development. It also points out that while social media and internet deliver many benefits to the community but when misused it has devastating effects on the community.

Book Reviews
'Alone Together' - Sherry Turkle
Digital technology has been termed as the most important creation in recent history. Today most
people depend on their smartphones to perform tasks and keep in touch with family and friends
but digital technology has also attracted some serious concerns. This has led to damaging
interpersonal relationships among people which have been sighted as being among the main
concern (Turkle's 2012).
According to Sherry Turkles’ book 'Alone Together'; technology is directly linked to severely
damaging interpersonal relationships among people today. This is happening to the entire
population and even affecting family’s relationships. Today it has become quite common to find
family members preoccupied with their smartphones and not interaction and communication
despite living under the same roof. This on its own demonstrates the severity of the situation
which needs to be addressed by the community immediately.
Smartphone have been linked to damage interpersonal relationships which has devastated
relationships among people today who are opting to keep themselves updates on social media
rather than meet in person. The social media has therefore effectively damaged many
relationships today and people have lost their desire for intimacy within relationships and prefer
maintaining companionship. The social media has brought alone many benefits by delivering
free communication but it has had a major effect on how people relate to each other. Many
people today have lost the desire meet in person due to the social media and mass
communication platforms. This side effect related to the social media was not anticipated but
recent research and studies conducted by Sherry Turkle and other researchers clearly show the
social media has a direct negative effect on interpersonal relationships.
This also makes it a major concern among communities and one which needs to be addressed
immediately so as to safe guard and protect future generations. The books have delivered in-
depth research and finding related to the effects of the social media on the community and people
in general but these concerns need to be addressed in public so as to ensure the concern does not
continue escalating and affecting more people.
To address this concern it’s important for the community heads to be educated regarding the
risks involved with social media. The social media is therefore actually building major
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Book Reviews
differences and divisions among communities, friends and family whereby no one want to meet
in person. This is happening because of constant daily updating of photos which comments
which keeps friends and family updated regarding each other’s experiences which eliminates the
desire to meeting in person
‘The web shatters focus, rewires brains' - Nicholas Carr
Nicholas Carr has published a book the web shatters focus, by rewiring the brain. This is related
to the effects the internet has on the human brain and how people think. The book describes the
research study done by Gary Small which involved 6 volunteers and three experiments to
measure the effects of the internet and computer technology on the way people think and
maintain their focus. The book describes the effects of how the internet affects the human brain
and the side effects it has on individuals thinking and their perception. An increasing number of
people are exposed to the internet and spending long hours surfing and working on computers
and the internet. This has also led to an increase in the effects on how people think and can be
expected to increase. The brain automatically becomes lazier when delivered with a simpler way
out thus people are falling in to this trap thus making it important to raise this concern well in
advance to help safeguard how people think and how they can maintaining their mental strength
(Carr 2010).
This is a major concern since the brain is actually not developing as people due to many people
opting to find solutions online rather brain storm. With critical thinking and problem solving
reducing among people today, the brains function has also been reduced among many people. On
other people, the internet is actually exposing too much information and knowledge to people
which are leading to confusion and inability nor desire to perform work or be innovative. This is
due to people sharing their knowledge and other uncontrollable desire to acquire the knowledge
which is also creating problems.
Similar to digital technology the internet deliver major benefits to the community but when
misused it has devastating effects on the community. According to Nicholas Carr, The web
shatters focus and rewires the brain to becoming lazier and unable to think and resolve problems.
This is due to solution being readily availed online this depleting the brains capacity and leading
to people underutilizing their mind as compared to the past.
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Book Reviews
References
Carr, Nicholas. The web shatters focus, rewires brains. Wired, 2010.
Turkle's, Sherry. Connected but Alone? TED Talk, 2012.
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