‘Reclaiming Conversation’ by Sherry Turkle

Media Scholar and TED superstar, Sherry Turkle, wowed me and over 5 million other people with her brilliant talk “Connected, but are we alone?” In its aftermath, she wrote Alone, Together, which fleshes the thesis of her Ted Talk: technology is silencing us. Reclaiming Conversation follows up to Alone Together—less robot discussion, more investigation of dissatisfaction with technology—and is equally important. What is our most basic tool for staying connected? According to Turkle, face-to-face conversation. Since EP was founded with face-to-face meetings, and intentionally chose not to have an online social media presence, the book underscores the importance of IRL communities where people commune. Although much of the narrative includes research, Turkle offers practical advice. She is not a Luddite and doesn’t suggest we should be one either. I loved this book for the simple reasons that it confirmed my distains towards technology, while also empowering me with solutions to use it in more meaningful ways. Perhaps too, it helped me to bridge the technological generation gap I experience around Tweens, and that, most of all, is a win!