A Case Study: Sherry Turkle and the Psychological Role of Computers

Abstract

Part of deconstructing the real—virtual and human—machine distinctions begins with a look at their impact on identity. Despite the pervasive use of computers and the World Wide Web, there is surprisingly very little sustained analysis and theorizing on the interrelationship among identity, culture, and the virtual. Although some scholars have looked at the social and personal implications of human interaction with new media (Buckingham, 2008; Johnson, 2006; Nelson, 1987; Norman, 1988; Reeves & Nass, 1996), few are examining the impact digital online culture is having on our identity in general, and specifically on how we see ourselves and live out our lives. One of the few but most prolific and longstanding researchers in this area is Sherry Turkle, a leading scholar of human—computer relations at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is also the director of MIT’s Initiative on Technology and Self (ITS), which investigates the social and psychological dimensions of technological change (Turkle, 2003). Her work is unique and recognized across myriad disciplines for both its subject matter and the psychoanalytical, sociological, and ethnographic perspectives it employs, making it a logical choice as a case study for this chapter.