SOCIAL IMPACTS26 JANUARY

COMP 381

Inflection Points in History Positives Negatives

privacy family quality of life survival expanding human reach expanding knowledge expanding economy democratization

privacy invasion disintegration of family health pollution danger / misuse misinformation work abuse

And for digital technologies?

POSITIVESPrivacy Family

Mostly negative Easy to track people Façade:

Can use screen name to avoid publicly asking

False sense of security Feel like they can say

anything

Reconnecting over long distance Facebook Ancestry.com

Security Bring family together

over entertainment Wii DVR

POSITIVESQuality of life Survival Easier

Cameras Share/preserve photos Communication (email) Access to knowledge Shopping GPS

Medical digitalization Medical intervention Cell phone to call for help

POSITIVESExpanding human reach Expanding knowledge Communicate with other

people Facebook Internet Cell phones

Transportation Exploration

Underwater Space

Availability of information Searching Sharing Learning

POSITIVESExpanding economy Democratization Online shopping Faster business

communication Trade Banking

International projects Mom and pop shops can

advertise

Government transparency

Wikileaks Voting

Impacts

Is Cyberspace Real?

Are we creating an artificial distinction? When do distinctions matter?

Worker vs. teleworkerConference vs. teleconference vs. virtual

world conference?Others?

Manifestations

Speed of life Communications Desensitization Expectations

Speed of Life

Crazy Busy: we are all driven to do more and do it faster

Signs?

Is this technology’s fault?

Other contributing factors?

How communications has changed

We build our ideas about what is real and what is natural with the cultural materials available.

high school student, 1996

Perception of reasonable ways to communicate:

1930s: phone

1996: Internet

2001: End of pay phone era

today: Changes in the last 5 years?

Desensitization

Television Movies Rap songs Violence in games Internet hunting Modern warfare

The Technosphere

Without much awareness or comment on our part, the technological-technocratic system has usurped the natural and social milieus to become the primary environment in which we live.

Andrew Kimbrell

Cold Evil

Technology is a way of organizing the world so that we do not experience it.

Max Frisch

Simulations

The imitative representation of functioning of one system by means of the functioning of another

You capture some aspects, but not all: need to decide what is important

Simulations in Physical Space Shopping mall: simulation of main street

Streets of Southpoint!

Neighborhood developmentsSimulations or reversions?Sustainable village communities

Television locationsCheers… and bars that are simulations of the simulation

Zoos and theme parks: Busch Garden, World fairsDisneyland Main Street USA

Simulations in Cyberspace

Chat rooms Multi-player online

environments Instant messaging Military: War games,

simulations, exercises

Games Training: flight simulator Medical: Virtual human Social networks

Why are these simulations? How effective are they?

Simulations in Cyberspace With your own persona:

Create communities and societiesCommunication with friends

But are these really “you”? Do you have different personas?

In “real life”?In cyberspace?

Culture of Simulation Sherry Turkle, “cybershrink”

Seminal work on people and technologySimulation and Its Discontents

What about the Internet has changed since 1996?

Real life vs. virtual life AvatarsTransference

What is good about simulations? Safe place to

LearnExperiment

Opportunity to try things that you couldn’t otherwise tryDifferent places and timesExpensive facilitiesDanger

What is bad about simulations?

False sense of capabilityCPR without real practiceFlying an airplane in bad weather

Can spoil the real thing“Disneyland effect”Nature videos or zoosTravelogsThe Veldt by Ray Bradbury

Impact underestimatedRape in Cyberspace (1998)

Human reactions

Alleviating loneliness: Aibo vs. real dog

Emotion in robots (KISMET)

The Uncanny alley

Crossing the Valley