Attention, Communication, and Reclaiming Community

[Dr. Sherry Turkle]: So technology may make us feel less vulnerable because we have these controlled exchanges. But here is what we know about life. We lose out personally and as citizens in democracy when we don’t take the time to talk to each other. When we don’t know how to listen to each other, especially to other people who are not like us. And on the Internet, we listen to fewer and fewer people who don’t share our opinions. In today’s political climate, we need our young people to develop the very skills that screen time erodes. Slowing down to hear someone else’s point of view. Waiting those 7 minutes. Valuing those boring bits. If we reclaim our attention and our capacity for solitude, our young people will have a better chance to reclaim our communities, our democracy, and our shared common purpose.