The lonely crowd
The next time you are in a public place where families gather, such as a playground, a children’s soccer game or a museum, see how many parents are focused on their mobile phones instead of watching their kids. The compulsive attention people pay to their mobile devices is becoming a trend that should concern us, according to MIT professor Sherry Turkle. In her new book, Alone Together, published this month by Basic Books, Turkle suggests that the time is ripe for widespread rethinking of the way we use cutting-edge technology. “There is a real state of confusion about whether or not we have each other’s attention in our always-on connectivity culture,” says Turkle, the Abby Rockefeller Mauze Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology, in MIT’s Program in Science, Technology and Society. “Families fight over this issue. It’s time for a correction, because we still have a chance...