Evocative Objects: Things We Think With

"Evocative Objects is a really beautiful collection of essays about cherished objects that Sherry Turkle edited and framed with critical theory. I used it this past semester in my class and students got really into writing about their own evocative objects. That exercise helped them, as future designers, think about what makes an object emotionally meaningful. Get the weekly Five Books newsletter Turkle investigates and celebrates the attachment that we have to objects. The relationships with objects isn’t between one person and one thing. There are all these human relationships and stories that are entangled in our attachment to objects. That is why a lot of people are attached to their phones. It’s not about the device, it’s about the relationships and the validation that they can have access to through these devices. That’s why they’re so important to them, they are a touchpoint for all that human connection. Going back to your question about addiction . . . Compulsion, or maybe just habit . . . There’s always the question, ‘Why are people spending so much time on their screens?’ I think maybe a slightly better question is, ‘What are they getting out of it?’ or ‘What are they seeking from their screens?’ There’s a search for a signal that I matter, or that people want to talk to me. It’s acknowledging that I’m desirable, I’m important, I’m significant to other people. That’s maybe a more fruitful conversation to have than just wondering how we get people to be less attached to their screens. Maybe kids need more validation, more world-opening experiences or more role models than those available to them in their local environments. Or maybe they just need more excitement. It’s about addressing those needs. Those are the kind of things we should be thinking about."