July 26, 2005

Sherry Turkle: "Adolescence and Identity: Finding Yourself in the Machine"

Turkle, Sherry. 1984. "Adolescence and Identity: Finding Yourself in the Machine" The Second Self. New York: Touchstone Book.

Overview:

In this chapter, Turkle discusses how adolescents relate to the computer in the process of finding a sense of self. She uses examples from her field studies.

In her opening, she argues that children are reflective, constantly interested in philosophical possibilities such as the personalities of machines. As they get older, their interests with technology are preoccupied by action - what can be done. In adolescence, there is a return to the reflective, only this time it concerns reflections about the self not the outside world.

The computer allowed Deborah and Ethan to finally have control over some part of their lives. For Bruce, it allowed him to engage with something that was ordered and predictable. Carla found that the computer had the same sort of organizing principles as her own life.

As Turkle weaves together the stories of different adolescents, she points out how young people use technology as a mirror to their lives, giving them the perspective necessary to make sense of out everyday situations or develop new strategies for handling situations. Her argument aligns with the ideas that technology enables people to make sense of the physical world by acting it out in the digital. In each case, there is discussion about how the lessons learned through technology can be applied to everyday life.

Questions:

Turkle's narrative is fantastic but i'm concerned about the implicit model. Are lessons learned through technology really applicable to other environments? Does engagement give us a mirror stage? If so, is the mirror altered by the environment?

How are things changing now that technology is a given? What other tools have been used for mirror stages?

How can we actually test the effectiveness of technology as a mirror? I'm having a hard time buying into this and i'm not sure why, but i'm recoiling into desiring more conclusive evidence.

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