Social critics and artificial intelligence experts have long
prophesized that computers and robots would soon relegate humans to
the dustbin of history. Many among the general population seem to
have shared this fear of a dehumanized future. But how are people
in the twenty-first century actually reacting to the ever-expanding
array of gadgets and networks at their disposal? Is computer
anxiety a significant problem, paralyzing and terrorizing millions,
or are ever-proliferating numbers of gadgets being enthusiastically
embraced? Machines that Become Us explores the increasingly
intimate relationship between people and their personal
communication technologies.
In the first book of its kind, internationally recognized
scholars from the United States and Europe explore this topic.
Among the technologies analyzed include the Internet, personal
digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, networked homes, "smart"
fabrics and wearable computers, interactive location badges, and
implanted monitoring devices. The authors discuss critical policy
issues, such as the problems of information resource access and
equity, and the recently discovered "digital dropouts"
phenomena.
The use of the word "become" in the book's title has three
different meanings. The first suggests how people use these
technologies to broaden their abilities to communicate and to
represent themselves to others. Thus the technologies "become"
extensions and representatives of the communicators. A second sense
of "become" applies to analysis of the way these technologies
become physically integrated with the user's clothing and even
their bodies. Finally, contributors examine fashion aspects and
uses of these technologies, that is, how they are used in ways
becoming to the wearer. The conclusions of many chapters are
supported by data, including ethnographic observations, attitude
surveys and case studies from the United States, Britain, France,
Italy, Finland, and Norway. This approach is especially valuable
given the dearth of empirical studies in a field that has been
traditionally dominated by extrapolation and speculation, and that
has focused on possible future states rather than analysis of
current situations. Other chapters are integrative, seeking to
advance emerging theoretical perspectives.
This exciting volume generates new insights concerning the
burgeoning electronic confusion that increasingly penetrates and
blurs the boundaries of various spheres of life in modern society.
Machines That Become Us will be of interest to students of
communications and technology, sociologists, and social
psychologists.
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