Professor of Social Studies of Science and Technology, MIT
Sherry Turkle is an acclaimed sociologist and psychologist who studies the impact of digital technology on human relationships.
The average person checks their phone 96 times a day — and every time they do, someone else gets a little less of them. Tristan Harris, Cal Newport, and Sherry Turkle examine what we actually owe each other in an attention economy, and whether looking away is an act of self-preservation or a small betrayal of the people around us.
Jul 16, 2026Every major technological advance seems to arrive with a problem it didn't advertise — electric cars and lithium mining, digital connection and social isolation, remote work and mental health. Elon Musk, Sherry Turkle, and Clayton Christensen examine why solutions so often generate the very complications they were meant to solve.
Jul 15, 2026In a world where your LinkedIn, Instagram, and personal narrative all need to tell a coherent story, identity has started to feel like a job with no days off. Sherry Turkle, Simon Sinek, and Erving Goffman debate whether self-branding has turned who we are into a performance we can never step off stage from.
Jul 14, 2026Social media algorithms show us what we already agree with, digital platforms make it easy to disengage, and suddenly everyone seems to be getting along — except nobody's actually talking. Jonathan Haidt, Cass Sunstein, and Sherry Turkle debate whether we're building genuine consensus or just getting better at avoiding each other.
Jul 13, 202673% of adults rely on social media for news — and the algorithm deciding what they see is also quietly shaping who they are. Sherry Turkle, Andrew Keen, and Tarleton Gillespie debate whether we're becoming our authentic selves in the digital age or just the person the feed decided we should be.
Jul 13, 2026We've filled every quiet moment with a podcast, a scroll, or a notification — and somewhere along the way, being alone started to feel like a problem to solve. Cal Newport, Sherry Turkle, and Susan Cain debate whether we've lost the ability to be alone with ourselves, and what that's quietly costing us.
Jul 08, 2026We live in a culture that treats constant availability as a social contract — so what does it mean when someone deliberately opts out? Sherry Turkle, Bruce Schneier, and Cass Sunstein debate whether choosing privacy in a hyper-connected world is a personal preference, a form of self-preservation, or an outright act of rebellion.
Jul 03, 2026Somewhere between the photo and the post, life stopped being lived and started being curated. Cal Newport, Sherry Turkle, and Simon Sinek debate whether the highlight reel has replaced authentic experience, and what it would take to reconnect with the messy, unedited reality social media leaves out.
Jun 25, 202673% of adults feel pressured to answer work messages after hours — and the smartphone in your pocket is the reason you can't say no. Cal Newport, Sherry Turkle, and David Greenfield examine whether constant reachability has quietly erased our right to disconnect, and what it's costing us.
Jun 24, 2026We're more reachable than any generation in history — and somehow also more likely to just vanish on someone without a word. Is ghosting a sign that our culture has gotten crueler, or an honest, if messy, response to a level of constant connection humans were never built for?
Jun 23, 202670% of people feel pressured to present an idealized version of themselves online — but does performing your identity mean you've lost it? Sherry Turkle, Dan Schawbel, and Erving Goffman debate whether you can still be genuine once you know you're being watched.
Jun 18, 2026Influencer deals, referral codes, paid communities, and networking with an agenda — money has quietly crept into the space where friendship used to live. Sherry Turkle, Andrew Yang, and Seth Godin debate whether the monetization of relationships is corroding genuine human connection or simply reflecting a new economic reality.
Jun 10, 2026Your streaming service knows your taste better than your friends do — but is that a superpower or a trap? Yuval Noah Harari, David Lee, and Sherry Turkle debate whether algorithmic personalization is accelerating self-discovery or quietly replacing it.
Jun 04, 2026"How's the weather?" may seem pointless — but is ditching small talk a sign of deeper human connection, or just a shortcut to making social situations unbearable? Susan Cain, Sherry Turkle, and Malcolm Gladwell debate what we lose and gain when we stop bothering with pleasantries.
Jun 02, 2026With Big Tech designing products to maximize engagement at all costs, the debate over digital autonomy has become one of the defining ethical battles of our time.
May 25, 2026With smartphones in every pocket and social media shaping identity from age ten, the debate over digital parenting has never carried higher stakes.
May 21, 2026AI in the Workplace: Productivity Tool or the End of Professional Identity? In an era marked by rapid technological advancement, the deployment of art...
May 05, 2026Is Social Media Making Us More Connected — or Just More Observed? In the era of instant communication and constant connectivity, a pressing question e...
May 05, 2026