The Why Factor

Why do we text instead of talk?


Listen Later

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

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Why FactorBy BBC World Service

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

182 ratings


More shows like The Why Factor

View all
Stuff You Should Know by iHeartPodcasts

Stuff You Should Know

78,688 Listeners

TED Talks Daily by TED

TED Talks Daily

11,099 Listeners

99% Invisible by Roman Mars

99% Invisible

26,242 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,913 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

376 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

863 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,067 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,576 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,808 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,729 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,018 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,952 Listeners

The Naked Scientists Podcast by The Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists Podcast

599 Listeners

Discovery by BBC World Service

Discovery

965 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

841 Listeners

13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II by BBC World Service

13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II

4,186 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,245 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

779 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

15,506 Listeners

Unexplainable by Vox

Unexplainable

2,303 Listeners

Dish by Cold Glass Productions

Dish

780 Listeners