Technology has allowed society an escape from the real world. Throughout the years, advancements in technology have gotten better and better with every new iPhone or rocket ship. Most people nowadays are always on their, whether they’re texting their family or sending a Snapchat to a friend, or even walking into someone while doing so. This idea of people being unobservant to the world around them is introduced by Sherry Turkle in her essay “The Empathy Diaries.” Turkle establishes the argument that technology has driven people to converse less in person, which ultimately causes people to be less empathetic to one another. The societal pressures of technology on to the younger generation has caused a lack of conversation and empathy, while society continues to ignore the damage it has done.  

            Growing up these days is different than what the older generations experienced, and this can be explained through the access to technology. Children can easily ask their parents for the newest iPhone, and it is considered “normal.” This early attraction to screens has caused this younger generation to resort to talking to people online rather than in person. Whenever I babysit kids and they see my phone, I am unable to pursue a conversation for another hour because all they want to do is play games. As these kids grow up, they continue to rely on phones and exploring the internet and finding ways to avoid interacting with the real world. Turkle makes the point that:

Many of the things we all struggle with in love and work can be helped by conversation. Without conversation, studies show that we are less empathetic, less connected, less creative and fulfilled. We are diminished, in retreat. But to generations that grew up using their phones to text and message, these studies may be describing losses they don’t feel. They didn’t grow up with a lot of face-to-face talk (350).

Older generations have lived many more years than the kids of this generation, and they often find it hard to hold conversations with them. Turkle points out that because children have access to technology, they do not view it as a negative, rather they want to learn more. I was raised in a household with very few electronic devices laying around, so I respected the idea of having true conversations and listening to what other people have to say. Whenever I converse with an adult, they always compliment my ability to listen and hold eye contact, and it is sad that most people cannot do that nowadays. The lack of in person conversation that occurs in today’s world continues to be unspoken about, but sending a quick text will fix everything.