We find ways to avoid conversation by e-mailing or texting sometimes to save time, but often to avoid listening to another person or revealing ourselves. We will read and discuss Sherry Turkle's Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age, which describes how these shortcuts undermine our relationships, creativity, and productivity. She relates technology to recent studies on the decline of empathy and self reflection, erosion of relationships, and increasing loneliness. She investigates the effects of social media, on-line education, and compulsive texting. Sherry Turkle is far from a Luddite, as she holds an endowed chair at MIT and works with leading computer scientists. Please read through p.19 for the first session. Instructor: Gerry Lapidus. This class for adults 50+ meets Monday through July 18th. No class July 4th.
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