In Alone Together 2011, Turkle explores how technology is changing the way we communicate. In particular, Turkle raises concerns approximately the way in which genuine, organic social interactions become degraded through fixed exposure to illusory meaningful exchanges with artificial intelligence. Underlying Turkle's central parametric quantity is the fact that the technological developments which realize most contributed to the rise of inter-connectivity hit at the same time bolstered a sense of alienation between people. The alienation involves links between social networks favouring those of proper conversations.
Turkle's main argument in the number one part of the book is that our interactions with robots that simulate emotion pose serious threats to our ability to relate to one another properly. Turkle discusses robots that have been intentional to interact with humans on an emotional level; she fears that they may then replace other humans and animals in these emotional roles. Turkle is concerned that we often qualifications certain features to robots that the robots do not in fact possess, and that our emotional interactions with other humans become eroded as a direct result. Turkle's concern is that our appreciation for human interaction may become eroded.
The second factor of the book examines the variety of online social interactions, and the way in which social media has changed how people, especially younger people, connect with one another. Turkle argues that because people in interpersonal social situations, particularly young people, are often distracted by their phones, they will pay insufficient attention to one another, making increasingly shallow relationships. Turkle argues that teenagers' reliance on friends' authority prevents self-reflection, leading to less personal independence.
Turkle talks about the vintage of privacy in the post 9/11 world, arguing that privacy was sacrificed in exchange for safety. Turkle argues that because they have grown up as factor of a world in which privacy is regarded as increasingly tenuous, children do not always appreciate the full expediency of privacy, which in reform causes them to share even more personal details on the web. This further depreciates the value of privacy in a self-perpetuating cycle.
Using her 15 year of experience, Turkle uses Alone Together to inspect the question of whether or not technology is bringing quality to our lives. Turkle argues people usage technology to escape from reality and emotions, which weakens genuine relationships.
In 2011, Turkle was interviewed by Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report, where she pointed briefly about Alone Together, and the affect that technology has on communication skills.
Turkle offered a TED talk on the covered of Alone Together in February 2012, under the title “Connected, but alone?”