Sherry Turkle

Sherry Turkle studies the relationships among people, computers, identity, and communication, examining how digital technology shapes self-perception and interpersonal relationships. She is the Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and founded the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self.

Turkle's major books include "Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet" (1995), "Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other" (2011), and "Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age" (2015). Her early work explored online identity and virtual communities, while her later work critiques the social costs of constant digital connectivity.

In "Alone Together" (2011), Turkle argues that digital technology, while promising connection, often leaves people more isolated by substituting shallow online interactions for deep human relationships. She raises particular concerns about the effects of smartphones and social robots on children, adolescents, and face-to-face conversation.

Founded by Sherry Turkle at MIT, the Initiative on Technology and Self is a research project dedicated to studying the subjective and relational dimensions of people's interactions with digital technology, including computers, robots, and social media. It brings together scholars from multiple disciplines to examine how technology reshapes human identity, empathy, and emotional life.