MeGann 1 Meaghan McGann, Media Studies Book Report 2 2 December 2015 Classmate Proofteader: Elizabeth O’Reagan Proofreader Signature g The above classmate declares as trie that the author prior to the final revision and final printing read this paper audibly to me. ‘The Lonely Texting Robot In her book, Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other, Sherry Turkle ponders human relationships with technology. In a cross examination exploring children’s and the elderly’s relationships with robots, Turkle comes fo the conclusion that though humans possess greater access to connectedness than anytime in previous history, they fee! more alone than ever. She further explores this longing for attention by examining online and texting relationships. Through het cross-generational research and exploration of different mediums of technology, Turkle suggests that human relationships with machines result in inauthentic relationships with other humans and nostalgic longing for real connectedness. Ina comparative study looking at both children and the elderly, Turkle draws similar conclusions about human relationships to robots regardless of age gaps. In her research with children, Turkle performed a series of case studies with kids between the ages of S and 14, She observed the children in their own homes, in their classrooms, and in laboratories at MIT. Several of her studies asked children to take home robot foys such as Furby, AIBO, and My Real Baby. After a two week period, Turkle examined the children’s experiences. Many children’s responses suggested that they had formed a significant bond with the robot toys. With the Furby, children took very seriously the (ask of helping to ereate the Furby’s ‘personality’ as it showedMcGann 2 : its development over time. Their sense that they were ereating unique experiences for their Furby that direetly contributed to its development allowed them to experience almost a parental pride. ‘This developmental process ereated a history with the Furby that allowed children to feet invaluable in the life of their Furby. Further verbal affirmation from Furby and other positive feedback ereated a sense of necessity and connectedness between the children and their Furby--so much so that many children’s emotional response to loss of a Furby, due to reprogramming or damage, appeared similar fo the loss of a dear pet or even a friend, The interactions with AIBO solicited a different kind of relationship. In-a sense, ATBO allowed children to have a pet without any of the responsibility. Children could choose to care for and play with an AIBO, but would also suffer no penalties if they ‘forgot’ to feed it or tired of playing with it, Their relationship to the AIBO reflected a measure of self-absorption in that the AIBO did not require care: While it could reflect different ‘emotional states’, the children exhibited very little concer about the lasting effects of negative AIBO emotions because they only lasted for short periods and did not cause permanent hinderanee to the AIBO-child relationship. Turkle express that with the AIBO, children “are learning a way of feeling connected in which they have permission to think only of themselves"(60). Children’s experience with My Real Baby allowed them to ereate an ideal environment of care and attention. Turkle often observed that the children who most desired attention and care were often the ones who showed extreme attentiveness and formed the greatest bond to My Real Baby. ‘The cate called for in playing with a My Real Baby naturally provided a means for them to create a space in which they reflected the optimum care and attention they longed for, but in actuality were lacking,McGann 3 Robots may provide this resource to the elderly. Many children of the elderly feel guilt at the loneliness that their parents feel in nursing homes. Sometimes nursing homes do not have the means to provide adequate human contact or care to the elderly within their facilities, Robots have been suggested as a means of alleviating some of the loneliness that often accompanies old age. By establishing an environment in which an elderly person is suddenly a caretaker, a sense of purpose and importance is created in the individual. Even if the elderly are not interested in becoming a caretaker, the feeling of beitig needed provides a sense of worth, As with the children, they can give the robots all the care and attention that they do not receive. Many allow these companion robots fo become confidants as-well. They often become a source of recounting days gone by and sharing confessions of things that could have or shouldn’t have been, Though this necessity and companionship are fabricated by a robot, some argue that these relationships are not (00 far from most human interactions in that “people are always performing for other people. Now the robots too will perform”(121). In addition fo this companionship, robots may also take care of the sometimes dchumanizing components of caring for the elderly. Some people in nursing homes indicate that they would rather a robot bathe them than a human simply because it would be less embarrassing, Thus robots become a possible and probable resource in care and companionship for both young and old alike. Though this resource is relatively accessible at this point in history, some wonder if itis actually a viable tool in providing adequate relationships to children and the elderly. The proposition of robots as a solution to this lack of attention and care implicitly suggests that the care of these individuals in society has become a problem that regular people do not have the capacity to deal with, Turkle proposes thatMcGann 4 . “young children and the elderly are not a problem until we decide that we don’t have the time or resources to attend to them”(108). In today’s American sovicty it is assumed that individuals will have cell phones and they will have access to the internet, Many, if not most, people in the United States from adolescence on constantly carry access to these forms of technology on their person at all times. Some even express feelings of ‘nakedness’ without their cell phones. Turkle expresses that “the naked self fools itself in jeopardy. It is fragile and dependent on connection. Connection can reduce ‘anxieties, but...it creates problems of its own”(248). These means of connectedness allow people to constantly share links to other individuals. Though the availability of connectedness has increased significantly in recent years, many feel more alone than ever. The lack of depth created in these texting and online relationships only furthers the sense of cyclic insecurity that fuels . individuals’ desire to pursue such companionship~though they may be superficial, at least these relationships alleviate immediate feelings of loneliness. ‘There lies a longing for genuine human interaction, however when this does actually occur many find that they themselves or the person they are talking to are extremely distracted. Extreme and varied connectedness has come at the cost of our attention span. ‘The addictive nature of constant connectedness creates an anxiety, a feoling of missing out on what's going on in the rest of the world, when individuals interact face to face, In turn, this lack of attentiveness in face to face interact ns only furthers the societal feelings of loneliness and the desire for companionship outside of human interactions. As technology--including relational robots--continues to develop, people are going to rely on it more and more for feelings of security, worth and companionship. Turkle asks the question, is a technology based relationship actual companionship? The loneliness that society feels willMcGann 5 only deepen if this cyclic pattern of dependence on technology for attenti n and relationship is entertained,Can Deb Meaghan Me Gann C1OMEe Oa