Discussion:  Could our connected mobile devices hurt our ability to form personal relationships? Professor Sherry Turkle says yes.  Because our mobile devices are always on and always on us, as a culture we never get any solitude.  Solitude nurtures relationships because it allows us to reflect on our relationships and form real attachments.  The devices promote a fantasy that we never have to be alone for even a moment, which Professor Turkle says, is not good because we are using them as supplemental parts to make us whole without forming any attachments.  Our attention is always divided, and the allure of something better is always there.

Source:  CNN News

Date:  May 25, 2012

Link:  http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2012/05/25/natpkg-orig-ideas-sherry-turkle.cnn

Discussion Questions:

• Are our mobile devices causing us to form less real or less fulfilling personal relationships?
• Is never being alone a bad thing?