Stop Googling. Let's Talk
"In a 2015 study by the Pew Research Center, 89 percent of cellphone owners said they had used their phones during the last social gathering they attended."
How have you noticed phone usage affecting social gatherings?
"82 percent of adults felt that the way they used their phones in social settings hurt the conversation."
Some college students refer to "the rule of three" regarding their attention during conversations.
Have you experienced the "the rule of three"? If so, recall on a time and explain if you felt it was harmful to the conversation.
"The effect is what you would expect: Conversation is kept relatively light, on topics where people feel they can drop in and out."
Turkle claims, "Even a silent phone disconnects us."
In what ways do you think the presence of a device impacts the quality of discussion and social interaction between people?
"It’s that we don’t allow [empathetic] conversations to happen in the first place because we keep our phones in the landscape."
In a study by psychologist Timothy D. Wilson, Wilson found that people would rather give themselves mild electric shocks than sit alone without a device or book for 15 minutes.
Do you think you could sit alone for 15 minutes? What does this reveal about our discomfort with being separated from our devices?
"In solitude we learn to concentrate and imagine, to listen to ourselves. We need these skills to be fully present in conversation."
Turkle advocates for creating "sacred spaces" that are device-free, such as at the dinner table or in class.
List 3 additional "sacred spaces" that people can add in order to increase productivity and conversational skills, and why they would be beneficial.
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