Last fall Sherry Turkle, an MIT psychologist who explores how technology shapes modern relationships, published Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. The third in a trilogy of books, Alone Together tries to make sense of a paradox. The more friends and acquaintances we gather on social platforms like Facebook and Twitter, the more we feel alone. We're connected to other people more than ever, and yet we feel isolated in a new solitude. If you're looking for a primer on Turkle's thinking, you can watch a new animation (above) created by Shimi Cohen. It was made as a final project for a course taken at Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Tel Aviv. Another way to get up to speed on Turkle's thinking is to watch Turkle's own TED Talk recorded in February, 2012. Find it right below. And, of course, you could always read her book, Alone Together, in print or digital format. A novel idea that.

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