Comparison Essay: Technology's Impact on Behavior and Communication

This essay provides a comparative analysis of Sherry Turkle and Brandon Ambrosino's observations on the impact of technology on human behavior. The essay begins by outlining how technology has transformed communication, leading to both positive and negative effects. Turkle argues that technology has eroded genuine conversation, transforming people into robot-like entities, while Ambrosino highlights the health problems associated with excessive smartphone use. The essay then delves into the specific arguments of each author, exploring the communication disconnect and health issues, respectively. The author finds Turkle's views more relevant as a college student and concludes that both observations are accurate, emphasizing the need for measures to prevent people from losing themselves to technology. The essay incorporates references to support the arguments and provides a comprehensive overview of the effects of technology on behavior.

Comparison Essay
Student’s Name
Institution Affiliation(s)

Compare and Contrast the speaker’s/author’s observations of how technology
affects our behaviour. Do you agree with their observations? Are their arguments
accurate? Which argument do you identify with more as a College student?
This paper will compare the observations made by both Turkle and Brandon on the
effects of technology on our behaviour. Technology has many effects on its users which are both
positive and negative. Technology affects our lives in many ways. In the past, people used to
visit each other if they wanted to have a conversation. With the help of numerous messaging
applications, one can now communicate, share pictures, and share documents with another
person who is in a different continent. Both Brandon and Turkle talk about how technology has
affected our behaviour.
Turkle in the TED.com show talks about how technology has transformed people’s
communications today. New forms of technology have replaced traditional ways of
communication. Traditionally people used to talk face to face. In modern society, people
communicate through phone calls, the use of text messages, social networks and emails.
According to Turkle, this transformation has led to the loss of genuine real-life conversation
converting people into robot-like machines. She asserts that there are features of a real
conversation that can never be replaced by electronic communication like eye contact and
nodding (Turkle, 2012). These features are what connect people as social beings capable of
interacting with each other. It is through real conversation that one can express their real
emotions. It is a sad state that these new technologies are converting people into anti-social
beings. Teenagers subscribe to unlimited texts and are always on the phone even when having a
real conversation with people around them. Similarly, Brandon explains how smartphones have

tricked us into looking at present moments as if it were already past. Smartphones should be used
to capture moments that we have already experienced (Ambrosino, 2018).
It is not possible to concentrate on one’s phone and at the same time maintain eye contact
while conversing with another person. The behaviour can be interpreted as being rude and makes
the other person feel less appreciated. Turkle insists that rude behavior has ruined our
relationship with the people around us (Turkle, 2012). It is thus possible to stay connected with
other people through texts, tweets, Facebook but at the same time be alienated from people
around us. It follows that during the conversation, no one listens to the other causing a
disconnection in the conversation (Kim & Kang, 2015). What is even more scaring is the fact
that people do not even get time to be alone. We are always bombarded by emails, text or even
tweets during working hours, during our free time and even at night. The exchange of
information never stops which implies that people never really get time to reflect on their own
life and meditate. It has become even more difficult for people to create their own identity as our
actions are shaped by these electronic means of communication (Turkle, 2012).
On the other hand, Ambrosino explains the health problems associated with too much use
of our hand-held devices. Too much time spent looking at our smartphones stretches our neck
and strains our spine (Ambrosino, 2018). He further adds that too much use of our smartphones
causes poor vision. People want to document things they never saw in the first place. “We’re
collecting memories that we haven’t earned, documenting events we’ve never experienced,
moments to which we’ve never arrived.” (Ambrosino, 2018).
It is feared that in the end, we will have a world full of people with identical behaviour
and the same way of thinking. Same way of thinking and identical behaviour block creativity and

development in general. From Turkle’s talk, it can be seen that shortly, people will not be able to
make simple personal real-life conversation and this will have unimaginable consequences on
our social structure. Staying connected has had its advantages in ensuring immediacy of
information which has promoted businesses and other operation. Life has become very fast. This
situation is scaring, and measures need to be put in place before people lose themselves entirely
to technology and forget who they are (Turkle, 2012). What is even more scaring is that if all
these technologies came to an end, would people be able to revert to traditional means of
communication?
In conclusion, the observations made by both Brandon and Turkle about how technology
has affected our behaviour are both accurate. Brandon argues on the detrimental health effects
associated with too much use of technology. Similarly, Turkle explains the communication
disconnect that has been brought by new technologies. However, I find Turkle’s view more
relevant to me as a college student. At the college level, the use of technology is all around us
from sending text messages, emailing, taking photos, and sharing posts in social media sites. One
can easily be with a friend physical, but they are all glued to their smartphones while talking to
some other friends who are far away. With excessive use of technology, we end up being
connected but alone.

References
Ambrosino, B. (2018, March 16). Smartphones and our memories: Don’t take a picture. It’ll last
longer. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-smartphones-and-
our-memories-dont-take-a-picture-itll-last-longer/
Kim, J., & Kang, Y. (2015). The Effects of Young Children's Smartphone Use Experience on
Their Parents' Perceptions and Needs and Their Self-Regulation.
doi:10.14257/astl.2015.117.18
Turkle, S. (2012). Connected, but alone? Retrieved from
https://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together?language=en