Book 69: Alone Together

This was a fascinating exploration of robots (I know, that sounds kind of silly) and networks and how they affect us.



I don't encounter very many robots in my day-to-day existence, particularly not those that are trying to appear human. But the author describes a robotic baby seal named Paro that is being marketed to nursing homes as a companion for the elderly. Other robotic toys like My Real Baby have been used in similar situations. The author expresses some concern that we are shortchanging ourselves and our elders by thinking we are actually having relationships with robots. One of the most enlightening quotes in this section comes from a child who says of these robotic companions, "Don't we have people for these jobs?" (Well, yes, we probably do, Susie, but we don't value those jobs enough to pay people very well for them, and they are generally overworked and quite low status. So Grandma will have to talk to a cute robotic seal instead of having a relationship with a reasonably-paid, not-overworked human caregiver.)

The more interesting section of the book was the second, about networking and social media and how we use it to mediate our relationships. This I can (sadly) relate to: we have many superficial relationships that we tune into and out of as it is convenient for us.