From Fubbing to Full Presence: Reclaiming Conversation in the Digital Age

In this episode Dr. Marcus C. Shepard walks through Sherry Turkle’s "Reclaiming Conversation" and explores how smartphones and social media shift us from deep, face-to-face conversations to mere, shallow connections. He highlights terms like fubbing, whole-person conversation, solitude, punctuation in texting, maximizers vs. satisficers, multitasking vs. unitasking, intellectual serendipity, and weak vs. strong ties to explain why presence matters for empathy, creativity, and community.

Dr. Shepard shares personal examples—holiday gatherings, hosting friends, and classroom observations—to show how putting phones away fosters intimacy and meaningful dialogue. He discusses how technology creates an illusion of companionship, undermines solitude and self-reflection, encourages performative self-presentation, and changes expectations in dating and conflict.

The episode closes with practical takeaways inspired by the book: slow down, schedule solitude, create phone-free sacred spaces for conversation, practice unitasking, welcome difficult dialogues, avoid all-or-nothing thinking about technology, and remember that speaking and listening are skills that can be improved. These steps help reclaim conversation and build deeper community in an increasingly connected world.