Device as Memory
Definition
Some of the contents of our brain resides elsewhere. Traditionally in address books and letters, ledgers and receipts, objects and heirlooms. Some are memories, some are facts, some are data. In technology, avatars become memories and representations, placeholders for meaning and value, ideas and presence.
In "My Laptop" tech journalist Annalee Newitz writes about the linkage of her attraction to WizNet contact Gonif, mentioning that her "affection or Gonif determined [the] relationship with my computer. How could it not? To this day, every time I boot up my machine, I see a shadow of him flicker past".[1]
In this case, one's old cell phone may remind one of the relationships and communication that passed through that place, specifically if the device was the primary or significant touchpoint during the course of the relationship. In these cases, the way to get to the human is through the interface, which ends up taking on, and reminding the person of the characteristics of a person.
Related Reading
References
- ↑ Annalee Newitz in Turkle - Evocative Objects: Things We Think With, p. 90.
