away from those I care for by the louder, bigger mob. I want my efforts, to listen to and
closeness High degree of relationship quality, trust, perceived empathy and attention (Przybylski and Weinstein 2012).
engage with the people who matter most, to be rewarded. INTERFACES OBSCURE WHO AND WHAT I CARE ABOUT. I
know for whom I care most. But tools
with so-called egalitarian principles make it hard for me to distinguish the voice of a loved one from the voice of an acquaintance. Since I have more acquaintances than real friends, their words are all I see. Appliance interfaces that don’t allow me to distinguish among voices get in the way of my most important relationships. INDIVIDUAL VOICE IS MUFFLED BY ALGORITHMS AND TEMPLATES.
I create and tend to a version
of myself that suits the model I am offered by those with technical know-how and little concern for me as an individual. My efforts to share with—and talk to—others in meaningful ways become little more than patterns in data for unknown people to decode (Lanier 2010, 70). As I attempt to reconcile the gap between who I believe myself to be and who I
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see reflected back at me after filtering through profile generating machines and pattern-seeking bots, I no longer
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recognize myself and no longer see what makes me and my friends special. There is a better way. Closeness can be represented more substantially in social spaces (whether physical or digital). But to make that happen, designers like me must imagine possibilities for bridging the emotional gaps communication appliances create. Designers must trust that people will try new things; believe they are brave and curious; and understand people want
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experiences that amplify their humanity, ||| [ not dampen it. As a replacement for the status quo, I offer Sm<3 Phone Mandates to enable heart-centric conversation. ||| [ ] ||| [
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www.cottageindustri.es © 2013 4
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