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Who is ME/YOU - personal(ized) computer/program/screen design philosophy
1. I think that I want to calculate the sum of 1 and 1. I get a result (even several different results). I might think: "hey, brain, you do exactly what I want. How did you know what to do?" I might also think: "I am thinking", where my perception of "I" includes the little homunculus living in my brain. 2. I look at my right index finger and I decide to move it. It moves. I might think: "hey, finger, you do exactly what I want. How did you know what to do?" I might also think: "I am moving", where my perception of "I" includes my finger. 3. I look at the (computer) mouse, on the mousepad, on the table. I decide to move it. It moves. I might think: "hey, mouse, you do exactly what I want. How did you know what to do?" I might also think: "I am moving", where my perception of "I" includes my mouse. (And the mousepad? And the table? Is this also me?) 4. I look at the mouse cursor on the screen. I decide to move it. It moves. I might think: "hey, cursor, you do exactly what I want. How did you know what to do?" I might also think: "I am moving", where my perception of "I" includes the cursor on the screen. 5. I do a little bit more, write down these ideas - through fingers and keyboard, save it to disc, re-open the file, read it, edit it, save it again, publish it on the internet. I might think: "hey, computer, internet, you do exactly what I want. How did you know what to do?" I might also think: "I am doing something", where my perception of "I" includes the computer and the internet. All that (alternative perspectives in 1. - 5.) is not really a problem in a fuzzy world of partial truth. It's a non-issue similar to the question of when do tones become a melody, when does an ovum/embryo/fetus/baby become human (so that we are allowed/no longer allowed/start to be able to kill it), how many people are needed to replace a light bulb...... However, it is a big problem in an XOR world, where there is only one truth. Or when the computer program screen designer must decide how the program interacts with the user. More precisely: Does the computer interface act on my behalf ("my files", "mypersonaldotcom", or does it call me "you"? Does it present itself as an extended part of me (like my brain, my finger, my mouse, my cursor, my computer; me the brain, me the finger, me the mouse, me the cursor, me the computer), or does it perform a dialogue with me as a separate entity/person? This concept being called "personalization", where is the boundary of the person? Here is what I observed:
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metaphor: brainextension Microsoft Windows XP shows "My Computer", "My Documents", "My Network Places". |
XOR |
metaphor: counterpart(ner) Microsoft Windows XP - in the online help - tells me "Did you know", "Send your feedback...", "Keep your computer...." |
| a part of eBay claims to be "my eBay" | eBay asks me "what are you looking for" | |
| Google knows that "I am feeling lucky" | Google offers me to "make Google your homepage" |
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Even in the same program/environment, the metaphors may be mixed, which leaves me as a user with mixed feelings: who am I, where am I, and what is this thing here in front of me. The problem can be reduced by using expressions without a subject, in the form of action+object, like "View Details", "End Task", "Shut Down"; or in reverse order: "File Print", "Text Wrap". Something will happen here, soon (few years), I guess. |