Aurora University presents a digital culture expert

Submitted by Aurora University

Digital culture expert and author Sherry Turkle will discuss how technology is changing human relationships during a lecture at Aurora University Wednesday, Nov. 16.

Turkle’s presentation, “Alone Together: Objects as the Architects of our Intimacies,” will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Crimi Auditorium in the Institute for Collaboration, 407 S. Calumet Ave. The event is part of the Celebrating Arts and Ideas series at AU.

Admission is free, but seating is limited and reservations are required. Call (630) 844-4924, email artsandideas@aurora.edu or visit auartsandideas.com for reservations.

Turkle has been studying people’s changing relationships with digital culture for three decades. A professor of social studies of science and technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she is also the founder and current director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self.

Turkle’s work investigates the intersection of digital technology and human relationships, from the early days of personal computers to our current world of robotics, artificial intelligence, social networking and mobile connectivity.

Turkle’s latest book, “Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other” (2011), explores technology’s influence on our interpersonal relationships, calling for society to re-examine and redefine its basis for human connections.

A licensed clinical psychologist with a joint doctorate in sociology and personality psychology from Harvard University, Turkle has been quoted in publications such as The New York Times, Scientific American and Wired Magazine.

She is a featured media commentator on the social and psychological effects of technology for CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, the BBC and NPR. She has made appearances on programs such as “Nightline,” “Frontline,” “20/20” and “The Colbert Report.”

The sixth annual Celebrating Arts and Ideas series at Aurora University includes six Main Stage events and dozens of Second Stage events during the academic year.