Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet

It's like someone took photographs or bad scans of a paper book in gray scale and then reprinted it with a bad printer. Great text, but maybe not the copy to buy if you have migraine headaches or bad vision.

Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the InternetBy Sherry TurkleReview by Linda LarsonPepperdine University Doctoral StudentAs a read Turkle's book, I constantly reflected on my life long interest in reading science fiction and realized what was (please excuse the cliché) once science fiction is now science fact. Granted this is not a new idea, but it is certainly relevant to Turkle's book. Turkle has so many thought provoking ideas that during the reading, I found my mind constantly flashing backward to science fiction novels, I read, where the technology, I read about, only existed in fiction. Then my mind would flash to the present time and I realized that much of the fictional technology I read about was now a reality. Finally, my mind would flash forward to speculate what technology has in store for mankind in the future. Being an avid reader of science fiction and viewer of science fiction movies and television, I think of the advances I see in technology from a different vantage point from someone without this interest in science fiction. From my point of view, I have been reading about these ideas for years and I have just been waiting for the technology to make these ideas a reality. Turkle's book provided an interesting journey into the past, present and future of what Life of the Screen is and how this is having an impact on our personal identities and the way we view the world.My own life on the screen began in1979 when I first purchased my Apple II. I can easily identify with Turkle when she discussed her first experiences with using an early word processor. She commented in her book that the computer screen "tantalizes her with its holding power." She found it hard to turn way from the screen. She explained further that computers were an extension of us. She likened the interaction with the computer to playing a musical instrument. I agreed with her because my interaction, with the computer, is like piano lessons I took as a child. The computer can be a way of expression just like playing the piano can be a way of self-expression.Turkle's book Life on the Screen, offered many intriguing insights into how human interaction, with the computer, has changed through the years, as the human race has interacted with the screen. "Today's high school students are more like to think of computers as fluid simulation surface for writing and game playing than as rigid machines to program. Full membership in the culture is based on not programming skill but being able to use the software out of the box."Turkle's thought provoking book provided a plethora of ideas, but the ideas that fascinated me most were the following: The first idea evolved around the concept of examining how human beings interacted with the computer and how this interaction this has changed over the years. An interesting example of this was looking at how computer interface evolved, as Steve Jobs tried to make the Mac more "real world-like," by using the desktop metaphor. The second idea explored the complex area of artificial intelligence (AI) and Turkle's stories provide many useful insights into the area of (AI). The third idea examined the concept of using the computer to imitate real life. Turkle pointed out that this could be a problem because, as humans, we could get used to the fast scene changing of media like television, video games and simulations. Then, when we are living in the real world, where changes occur at a much slower pace, this could cause some problems. In her book, she offers interesting ways to deal with this dilemma. The fourth idea I found interesting was whole section on multi-user domains (MUDs). Turkle thinks there a place in the world for both the real and the virtual. For example, she devoted an entire section of the book to the fascinating world of MUDS. Personally, I found this the most interesting section of the book. Using her experience as a lecturer and researcher, she illustrated her ideas using many anecdotes on the complexities of the human personality. She helped the reader understand both the light and dark side of life on the Internet: On the Internet, individuals can have multiple personalities, work out personal problems, and play out fictional stories all in their life on the screen. The final idea that seemed to sum it all up is a concept that Turkle offered toward the end of her book. She saw the Internet like an enormous brain that was evolving and changing, and she thinks we all are all part of the "network" called the Internet. What I wonder is what is this going to evolve into: a Borg collective or what? Time will only tell.

Sherry Turkle is a sociologist and a clinical psychologist. Her pioneering work has been done in the realm of computer mediated human interaction. One of her most commented on books is Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet. This book is a serious look at the concept of identity and how identity is shaped on the Internet and through computer mediation.Her major topic is how humans contain self on the Internet. She also spends a great deal of time discussing relationships on the Internet. With splintered selves involved, relationships become more complex. Her research on the way women and men view online sexuality is fascinating. Anyone interested in how the young people of the very near future will discover their sexual selves would do well to read this book. While Turkle is fairly straightforward in her findings, they may terrify some readers. This is a completely new sexuality, a completely foreign way of doing things. Her view is, of course, fairly clinical, but, in the end, I think she shows an amazing affinity with the people she has worked with. Turkle is not worried about the splintering of self. On the contrary, she thinks that some of these tactics: being able to play with and discover parts of yourself that you normally don't interact with is vital to development and mental health.Another area that Turkle tackles is Artificial Intelligence. She considers AI to be the next frontier. These AI will be interacted with as a matter of course in the coming years, according to the author. Again, this area enthralls some readers and frightens others. Turkle is excited about what AI can do in terms of promoting dialog. Turkle sees the Internet challenging notions of what it means to be alive, notions of true identity, and the idea of community.Turkle is at her best when she explores the concept of how people view themselves online. How they splinter off bits of their personality into different entities and play with and shape those identities. I can heartily suggest this book for anyone that works with K-12 students, for it is these students that are growing up on the screen. These are the students that are discovering community outside their immediate circle at younger and younger ages. These are the students that are discovering the meaning of identity online.4 Stars out of 5.

Sherry's TED talk of this title was so apt, succinct, amusing, clever. The book, however, was too academic for relaxed reading - a heavy read. Ideal for anyone doing serious study in the social effects of 'living' online and its impact on our behaviour

tres bonne