Abstract
There is a cascade of interest in the topic of interactive time and space. and it might may be useful to align our cognitive investment that contributes to the operational goals of our thinking, our beliefs, and reactions to the phase of co-evolution of the human with the interaction society. If we want to build a rich understanding of how our mental assets influence involvement into this unique society, we need to be able to make a case for the crucial role of framing how the digital intergalactic transforms individuals and society. The mode of interactions may not be instruments of cognitive evolution, but the how of weaving together different perspectives of human development and engagement with cutting-edge interaction technology may be a significant player in the new cyborg society order.
If every tool, when ordered, or even of its own accord, could do the work that befits it … then there would be no need of either of apprentices for the master or of slaves for the lords. -Aristotle
TopIntroduction
Even though fiction, let us begin with Syne Mitchell’s book, Technogenesis (2002) that introduced her readers to an interaction society where almost everyone on earth is connected to a worldwide net, and in which the main character discovered the existence of an intelligence called Gestalt-a-self-aware entity generated by the collected consciousness of eight billion networked people. One might ask before we begin this chapter, is her book really fiction? So, let us get underway with this chapter that hopefully peaks the reader’s inquisitive mind to seek to affirm their curiosity for experimentation with, and expansion of, the scope of cognitive embodiment within the digital space. Rather than providing exuberant accounts, this chapter illustrates and tries to make sense of the important changes occurring in relational life.
The digital space raises a variety of issues as we try to understand them, their place in our lives, and their consequences for our personhood and relationships with others in society (Baym, 2015). Churchill, Snowden & Munroe (2012) defined space in this interaction society landscape as a terrain that can be inhabited or populated by individuals, encouraging a sense of shared place. They expanded on this by sharing an example of two avatars, or embodiments, who are currently inhabiting the virtual space – an angel and a round, floating face. Both embodiments can navigate through the space; they can see each other and can both see the landscape clearly. They can interact through audio connections and can orient their bodies to each other, which in some ways can approximate real-life interactions. When the interaction interfaces are new, they affect how we see the world, our communities, our relationships, and ourselves. They lead to social and cultural reorganization and reflection. While people in ancient times fretted about writing and Victorians fretted about electricity, today we are in a state of anxiety about our immersion into technology that demands a cognitive investment (Baym, 2015).
This chapter is grouped into three different areas: (a) how immersion into the digital space may impact cognitive experiences; (b) how to understand the impact interaction technologies have on centrality of beliefs; and (c) gain a heightened understanding of the impact this phenomenon has on individuals (self) in a society. Even though briefly, each of these three parts are presented with a short preface of the scope and perspective taken from a literature review.
There is a high priority for society to engage in this study of intellectual inquiry – not only the engineering of cognitive abilities, but an understanding of how our brains work and how it generates the mind when engaging in the interaction society (Poggio, 2016). The uniqueness of this chapter is that it provides a perspective of a technological view point with an individual and social aspect of users who invest cognitive time and space into an interaction society. Hopefully, the simplistic approach in writing this chapter will be interesting to both the academic environment as well as the human development field.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Brain Inspired Digital Technology: Human cognitive functions achieve close collaboration with brain inspired digital technology comprising of certain capabilities the brain trumps over technologies, including adaptability, robustness, flexibility and learning ability,
Virtual Hrig: Is an inventive accommodation of the internet made possible through the discursive forum of chatrooms and e-mail discussion groups that can act as a backtalk to dominant patriarchal and conservative power structures; e.g., meaning leaving one space for another space, such as from reality to virtual.
Actional Immersion: Empowers the participant in an experience to initiate actions impossible in the real world that have novel, intriguing consequences.
Concept of Self: The core concept of self, like society, is in an evolution toward a global and digital society, in which the dialogical self is described as a spatial and temporal process of positioning. Technological developments and their relationships to cognitive interconnectedness provided new opportunities for innovation of the self as multivoiced and dialogical.
Symbolic Immersion: Refers to the peculiar and distinctive character of interaction as it takes place between human beings. The peculiarity consists in the fact that human beings interpret or define each other’s actions instead of merely reacting to each other’s actions.
Centrality of Belief: At the heart of the centrality of beliefs is confusion about what is virtual – that which seems real but is ultimately a mere simulation – and what is real.
Digital Space: The digital space raises a variety of issues as we try to understand them, their place in our lives, and their consequences for our personhood and relationships with others in society. A space is a societal landscape such as a terrain that can be inhabited or populated by individuals, encouraging a sense of shared space.
Technogenesis: Syne Mitchell’s book, Technogenesis (2002) AU34: The in-text citation "Technogenesis (2002)" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. introduced her readers to an interaction society where almost everyone on earth is connected to a worldwide net, and in which the main character discovered the existence of an intelligence called Gestalt-a-self-aware entity generated by the collected consciousness of eight billion networked people.