Sherry Turkle’s View on the Effects of Mobile Communication Technologies on Healthy Emotional Development and Maturity

Introduction

The implications of the invention of mobile communication are evident in the emotional development of people. A professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sherry Turkle, has raised the concern that mobile communication technologies change the parameters of healthy emotional development and maturity (American Psychological Association). Her discussion has arisen amid the wave of communication that has adopted more wireless and nonphysical approaches. Turkle’s view is relevant to the current course in that she chooses a standpoint to expose the downsides of mobile communication on emotional development and maturation. Her take is controversial due to the present advocacy for digital communication over physical means (American Psychological Association). Some of the people affected by the argument are the millennial generation members who have embraced technology in communication. The paper will also argue against the counterarguments of the topic by discussing more demerits of mobile communication on emotional development. All in all, the disadvantages of mobile communication continue to manifest over the emotional development and maturation of the millennial generation as technology advances their connections.

Impacts of Digital Communication on Perceptions of Self and Interactions with Others

As a product of advanced technology, digital communication has influenced a large part of human life. In the twenty-first century, people are finding it increasingly difficult to do without digital communication as newer inventions of conversing take shape. In her book, “Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other”, Turkle is conscious of the newfound trend of people preferring to interact with each other online, with the physical meetups for chitchats and other forms of communication reducing in frequency Turkle (221). Stadter agrees with Turkle on her perspective about the extent of preferences to the digital mobile communication over face to face interaction (3). The definition of social media is reviewed to include virtual worlds, games, blogs, content communities and social networking sites. Stadter (3) recognizes the perspectives mentioned above of social media as having an impact on how people view themselves and how they conceptualize the interactions with other people. As a result, the researcher can provide a more in-depth insight into Turkle’s point of view.

The role of the internet in developing an individual’s networking skills is evident. For many people, digital communication has acted as the solution to their intimacy needs. According to Stadter (3), however, mobile communication creates an illusion of intimacy and distances people further away from conventional connections. The researcher also introduces the idea of fragmented thoughts to better Turkle’s argument by reporting that people who primarily depend on the internet for their interpersonal relationships miss out on emotional responses and cues in the real world. Stadter explains that neurological variations are present in in-person contact against the internet-mediated version of it (3). Part of the differences manifests in the emotional and social cues, both conscious and unconscious ones. Therefore, the author believes that there is a disparity in the behavioral responses in interpersonal relationships such as aggression. Stadter, therefore, agrees with Turkle’s point of view that the perception of intimacy in the internet-mediated relationships lacks completeness and therefore deprives individuals of emotional development (3). Thus, mobile communication is viewed as an aspect that derails individual emotional growth and maturation.

The source, “The influence of social media and communications technology on self and

relationships”, provides a credible approach to the topic, which persuasively argues in favor of Turkle’s standpoint on the emotional effects of mobile communication. Stadter completes an analysis of different peer-reviewed journals that address the issue of mobile communication and emotional development and maturation (3). Therefore, the research maintains its reliability and credibility. Furthermore, Stadter (3) focuses on relevance to the technological world by providing a systematic opinion of the effects of modern communication, which he backs up with facts from well-known journal publishers. Therefore, the source provides a clear argument path for the opinion of the negative impacts of mobile communication on the emotional growth and maturity of different people.

Mobile Phone Communication and Distraction

The use of mobile phone communication has been reported to lead to distractions on different levels. In her book, “Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other”, Turkle attempts to describe how the use of mobile phones has created a new form of distraction with parents and their children hardly maximizing on their physical connection, even though they are at the same place at a given time Turkle (221). Turkle describes the plight of children that have to compete with the digital devices for their parents’ attention after they come from school, for instance (221). She identifies that the emotional development for both the children and their parents is compromised. On the side of the children, they may develop feelings of neglect and unwantedness, which may make them result in solitude and introversion, where they will avoid discussing their troubling issues. On the other end of the emotional development spectrum, their parents will develop addiction due to the overreliance of mobile communications which will affect their development and maturity.

Different researchers have analyzed the severance parent-child emotional connection by the digitalization of communication. Lemish, Elias and Floegel report that the nature of interactions between parents and children In the US is changing, with the increased technology use in communication (2050157919846916). Based on ethnographic observations, Lemish, Elias and Floegel (2050157919846916) build on a continuum of parental engagement in the upbringing of their children which involves active participation, divided engagement, and total disengagement. The researchers believe that the stages of the continuum are dependent on a parent’s use of the mobile phone. Lemish, Elias and Floegel recognize that the use of mobile phones is not the only distraction to parenting, but plays a significant role in their engagement level in their children’s activities (2050157919846916). The parents’ engagement level had consequences on their children on emotional and security levels. Both impacts strained social learning opportunities. Therefore, the use of mobile phones by parents has created double-sided effects on the emotional connection between parents and their children.

The source, “Look at me!” Parental use of mobile phones at the playground”, presents evidence that argues in favor of mobile communication adversely affecting the emotional development and maturity for different people. Lemish, Elias and Floegel (2050157919846916) give credible research on the topic by approaching it from a scholarly perspective with the ethnographic observation of the playground activities of 60 families from two playgrounds located in the US. The arguments in the source are, therefore based on verifiable primary data. More evidence of the credibility of the source is contributed to by the recency of the data. Lemish, Elias and Floegel completed their observation of the US families and their parent-child interactions in 2019 which depicts an accurate review of the current trends in the effects of mobile communication on emotional development and maturity (2050157919846916). Therefore, the source comes up with a compelling argument in the line of Turkle’s argument that mobile communication leads to a barrier in emotional development and maturity.

Defense Against Likely Criticisms

Likely criticisms against Turkle’s standpoint on mobile communication will highlight the various advantages of mobile communication on the emotional development of people. Murphy and Sashi explore the indispensability of digital communication on the emotional connection by basing their argument on a company’s interaction with its customers (1). In the cases of the business to business (B2B) interactions, digital communication has been perceived as better than the impersonal form of connection with other businesses and customers. Thus, Murphy and Sashi (1) argue that digital communication is essential in the emotional connection of customers to an organization. However, Turkle presents a different perspective that argues against Murphy and Sashi (1) and their view of digital communication. She claims that the overreliance to simulated relationships at the expense of the in-person ones reduces the opportunities of sharpening the interpersonal skills that the various people have. In the long run, the lack of skills to hold a physical conversation may harm businesses more regarding their emotional connection with the customers. Therefore, the enhancement of the B2B interactions on simulated relationships eventually affects the organizations negatively.

Conclusion

Retrospectively, the downsides of mobile communication continue to manifest over the emotional development and maturation of the millennial generation as technology advances their connections. Various researchers agree with Turkle in her point of the communication adversely affecting the emotional growth of different people by introducing the differentiation between in-personal and digital relationships on a neurological level, and the impacts of mobile phones on the parent-child interaction on a study focusing on US playgrounds. Even though critics may argue on the support of digital communication on enhanced B2B and business to customer interactions, Turkle explains that their interpersonal skills may be affected in the long run.