What happens when the slow telos of parenthood meets the insatiable rhythms of social media? BKC faculty associate Leah Plunkett explores this question in her new book, Sharenthood: Why We Should Think Before We Talk About Our Kids Online.
“For decades, there have been toys, from Teddy Ruxpin to Tickle Me Elmo, designed to mimic one-on-one engagement with a child,” writes Hua Hsu for The New Yorker. “What about a future involving ‘smart’ toys with the machine-learning capability to actually converse with, or teach, children according to their individual quirks? How far into the future is what Plunkett calls ‘smart Elmo?’ A toy that teaches and sleeps alongside your child while also tracking his or her consumer choices?”