If you've had your head buried in Facebook and other social networking sites, as many of us do, it might be contributing to making you and the rest of the world "less human," contends MIT prof Sherry Turkle in her new book, "Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other."
The Brits put it this way in a story about Turkle in the Telegraph: "The way in which people frantically communicate online via social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook can be seen as a modern form of madness," according to Turkle, the newspaper said.
Turkle — one of the earliest observers and students of technology's effects on human beings — is now saying what many of us have thought privately — if we take the time to think: We have seen our real-time interactions with friends and family erode as our eyes — and attention — are glued to Facebook and Twitter on our mobile phones and computers.
All of that, Turkle writes, is making us "less human." This, despite the fact that Facebook, in particular, has become a vital link for many family members and friends who might not otherwise communicate in person, because of distance and time.
But some agree that familiarity that Facebook can breed sometimes extends to the unfamiliar, and takes away from the personal nature of the site, part of its early appeal.
"We all know techno interaction is 'less human' the moment ... a total stranger asks after 5 minutes of one-to-one conversation, 'Hey, check me out on Facebook, it will be cool to have you as a friend.' NOT!" posted one Telegraph reader in response to the story.
"Facebook demeans the word friend, and as for Twitter ... why do I NEED 'strangers/ followers' to respond to my EVERY knee jerk sentiment?"
But, noted HedleyC, in a posting: "We were mad before Twitter came along."
