24 min

Why do we text instead of talk‪?‬ The Why Factor

    • History

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/Poet
Sherry Turkle - Professor of the Social Studies of Technology, MIT and Author, Reclaiming Conversation: How To Talk In The Digital Age
Sophie Scott - Director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London
Mary Jane Copps - Owner, The Phone Lady
Chetan Deshpande - Digital Sales and Profit Consultant

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/Poet
Sherry Turkle - Professor of the Social Studies of Technology, MIT and Author, Reclaiming Conversation: How To Talk In The Digital Age
Sophie Scott - Director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London
Mary Jane Copps - Owner, The Phone Lady
Chetan Deshpande - Digital Sales and Profit Consultant

24 min

Top Podcasts In History

The Rest Is History
Goalhanger Podcasts
Short History Of...
NOISER
History's Secret Heroes
BBC Radio 4
The Spy Who
Wondery
Dan Snow's History Hit
History Hit
The Secret Life of Canada
CBC

More by BBC

Global News Podcast
BBC World Service
You're Dead to Me
BBC Radio 4
6 Minute English
BBC Radio
In Our Time
BBC Radio 4
The Documentary Podcast
BBC World Service
The Infinite Monkey Cage
BBC Radio 4