Technology becomes us — Heidegger meets Apple & Twitter
The Singularity is here! According to a new study, people have already fused with their computing tools. We are so entwined with the technology we use that they become part of our mind and bodily functions. The study conducted by Anthony Chemero, a cognitive scientist at Franklin & Marshall College was designed to test one of Heidegger’s fundamental philosophical concepts known as “ready to hand”.
This concept describes one way in which we interact with things in the world. According to Heidegger, when we’re engaged on a specific task, we tend to not be conscious of the actual separation between ourselves and the tools we employ to fulfill the task. In other words, you’re so focused on understanding the content of this post right now that you’re not thinking about the interface you’re using to access this blog, or the service that referred you to this page. However, the moment there is a disruption caused by the tools you’re using, which somehow impedes your ability to read this, you will experience cognitive disruption. Yes, that powerlessness and despair you feel when the YouTube video you’re viewing starts buffering is real. Further, the more such disruptions you are subjected to by digital technology, the greater the negative cognitive impact and consequently the reduction in the quality of your life.
That’s why reliable technology and user interface design that helps to lessen these disruptive forces is so important. Explains why Apple products are so popular and admired, right? They help us get things done with simplicity and ease. Maybe it can also help us understand why Twitter got so popular. The service is simple, takes minutes to sign up and start using it, and then all you have to do is type in less than 140 characters every time you want to share a thought, incident or observation with your friends or the world at large.
It helps you focus on exactly what you want to get done without any settings to be tweaked, privacy questions to be answered, and recipients to be identified or blocked. Just think and tweet. No disruptions! Well, unless this happens….
