Why do we text instead of talk? episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 27, 2020 · 24 MIN

Why do we text instead of talk?

from The Why Factor · host BBC World Service

We can now curate who we talk to in a way that wasn’t thinkable when a bulky landline phone sat in a corner of a house and rang with anonymous urgency. The screens on our devices allow us to communicate in any number of quick, cheap but silent ways.These modern technologies are very useful, which is why they are so ubiquitous, but are they taking something from us that is deeply human? Sandra Kanthal asks why we choose to text instead of talk, and if this incredibly popular form of communication is changing the way we interact and relate with each other. Contributors:Gary Turk - Spoken Word Artist/PoetSherry Turkle - Professor of the Social Studies of Technology, MIT and Author, Reclaiming Conversation: How To Talk In The Digital AgeSophie Scott - Director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College LondonMary Jane Copps - Owner, The Phone LadyChetan Deshpande - Digital Sales and Profit Consultant

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jan 27, 2020

We can now curate who we talk to in a way that wasn’t thinkable when a bulky landline phone sat in a corner of a house and rang with anonymous urgency. The screens on our devices allow us to communicate in any number of quick, cheap but silent ways.These modern technologies are very useful, which is why they are so ubiquitous, but are they taking something from us that is deeply human? Sandra Kanthal asks why we choose to text instead of talk, and if this incredibly popular form of communication is changing the way we interact and relate with each other. Contributors:Gary Turk - Spoken Word Artist/PoetSherry Turkle - Professor of the Social Studies of Technology, MIT and Author, Reclaiming Conversation: How To Talk In The Digital AgeSophie Scott - Director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College LondonMary Jane Copps - Owner, The Phone LadyChetan Deshpande - Digital Sales and Profit Consultant

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Why do we text instead of talk?

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We can now curate who we talk to in a way that wasn’t thinkable when a bulky landline phone sat in a corner of a house and rang with anonymous urgency. The screens on our devices allow us to communicate in any number of quick, cheap but silent...

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