Sherry Turkle Alone Together Analysis

Easier is not always better. Technology has made it effortless to keep in contact with friends, family, and coworkers, and it has also suggests itself the answer to relationships by creating an illusion of companionship. Sherry Turkle discusses her concern how technology is changing the way people approach relationships and authenticity in “Alone Together”. Turkle’s definition of authenticity is the “ability to put oneself in the place of another, to relate to the other because of shared store of human experiences.(267)Covering has made it easier for people with different race and cultural backgrounds to get along socially with people who are not as culturally or ethnically diverse. Kenji Yoshino expresses how he believes that covering is not

When immigrants come to America, they are most of the time required to change something about them because it is disfavored by American society. The change can be from their name to the way they talk or the way that they live, but the reason the immigrants change is because they just want to get along. Yoshino states that “I doubt any of these people cover willingly. I suspect they were all bowing to an unjust reality that required them to tone down their stigmatized identities to get along in life.”(294) The reason why people cover is because it is easier for them to be accepted into society. If they chose not to cover, they are most likely to be judged by others and have fewer opportunities than a normal white person in America would because of where they come from. Covering became a last resort instead of an option. However, when Turkle discusses how technology changes the way people look at relationships, she says that “Very quickly, the text message became the connection of choice.”(274) People’s view on relationships changed because they chose to use technology based on how easy it was to stay in contact with others. Covering leads to change in people because they are forced into fitting in the norms of society, whereas as technology changes the perspective of relationships because people chose to use it because it is easier for them. However, just because it easier for them, it does not mean the same intention can be received from the other person who gets the