Analysis of Growing Up Tethered by Sherry Turkle
Sherry Turkle’s “Growing up Tethered” is a powerful depiction of the rapidly evolving electronic environment of today. This particular article highlights the concept of how much technology has impacted people’s lives, particularly how it has fundamentally altered teenage girls’ daily routines. Through this piece, Turkle wants readers to understand how technology affects today’s youngsters. To illustrate how technology, in particular cell phones, replaces social positions in various parts of life, she focuses on various life examples. Sherry Turkle makes the argument that modern society is excessively dependent on mobile devices. Here, the emphasis is on using instances from everyday life to support Turkle’s theory.
Analysis of Growing Up Tethered by Sherry Turkle
The key point made by the author in this article is that individuals are becoming more and more “tethered” to their phones, which refers to their intense attachment to cell phones as technological instruments. Their heavy reliance on technology ultimately distances them from the perspective of everyday life. She contends that the excessive reliance on cell phones unquestionably alters the ground norms of interaction (Turkle, 172). Communication with others through verbal exchanges is dwindling day by day. This particular viewpoint is supported by the fact that people spend more time using their phones in daily life than conversing with someone who may be seated next to them.
Through a thorough examination of child rearing, the author skillfully brings up a further key aspect of cell phone addiction. She makes the point that widespread use of technology has altered how kids are raised in modern society overall. Analyzing the parents’ and children’s daily schedules and lifestyles supports the author’s particular claim. Children may easily get a hold of a cell phone, and they can communicate with their parents quickly and effectively. The author explains this specific potential by pointing out how accessible parents are to their kids today via text or phone. This characteristic can be described as the useful component of using a cell phone that gives the user a feeling of freedom.
Sherry Turkle successfully grasps the idea of the current generation’s way of life, which is linked to technology—most notably, their cell phones. Undoubtedly, young people have become mobile phone slaves since they are unable to observe the reality of the world. Teenagers view their cell phones as their greatest friends because they feel that their lives would be incomplete without them. People employ technological innovation to create their online personas since they are worryingly losing their real identities and lives. Teenagers who took their relationships and connections on social media sites more seriously than their real-world relationships can assist illustrate this specific harmful effect of cell phone addiction.
Analysis of Growing Up Tethered by Sherry Turkle
In order to wrap up, it is important to note that technological development, in particular the use of cell phones, is the major reality of the current generation and cannot be disregarded. The most important factor in cell phone usage is to take into account the enormous level of balance between real life and the features of the phone. It will be a viable approach to use technology for the sake of benefits and never become drastically addicted to the use of the cell phones.
Work Cited
Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, S. Turkle, 2006. Online at https://books.google.com.pk/books?id=hc7SYAPVlXwC, ReadHowYouWant.com, Limited, 2011.
