Cell phones lead to the development of pathological narcissism
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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American sociologist and technology expert, professor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sherry Turtle says in an interview with Der Spiegel about the impact of smartphones on our lives.
An unequivocal answer to the question of whether positively or negatively affected the appearance of cellular phones and smartphones on our lives can not be given. "In any case, they radically changed our lives," Sherri Turkl believes. "I feel comfortable with him: I take with me to bed and generally feel it as a part of myself, and I perceive myself as a human robot," - according to the expert, many people, first of all, representatives of the younger generation, who Sherri Turcl was interviewed for her book "Joint Loneliness". In the same connection, the professor mentions another, equally important change in the consciousness of modern users of cell phones: people are more willing to write than to talk.
"To replace real conversations between people, communication via sms, e-mail and instant messaging programs is increasingly coming. (...) Such communication allows you to reduce personal contacts and hide from various social situations," says the expert, emphasizing that smartphones lead to a picture of the world in which a person becomes a kind of loner. He makes a decision, to whom, and when to pay attention.
This, according to Sherri Turkle, inevitably leads to the third psychological effect, which she refers to: "I tell you - it means I exist." According to her, representatives of the younger generation actually forgot how to remain alone with their thoughts. They feel an acute need to share their thoughts and ideas directly at the time of their appearance. And if a few years ago the story that, say, a husband called his wife 15 times a day, was puzzling and testified either to an obsession or to problems in family relationships, then today the exchange of numerous sms is the norm.
"I will not argue that a huge number of people have any mental disabilities, but the tendency, the essence of which is reduced to the need to communicate any thought or feeling, makes us talk about signs of the development of pathological narcissism," the expert said.
Sherri Turcl considers it dangerous to turn a smartphone into a "friend". With all due respect to technical progress, she says, "a smartphone is primarily a machine that does not know how to empathize."
"I love my iPhone and I love the many modern developments in the field of information technology.I use Twitter. (...) And yet, we should not be embarrassed by the illusion that the machine will ever be able to contribute to our human life an experience".
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