Interactivity and Augmentation

The Computer as Tool: From Interaction To Augmentation is an excellent paper that nicely maps the tensions between interaction and augmentation paradigms of the computer. Chris Dent, who drew my attention to his paper in a comment on a previous entry on Tool and Technology, makes a comparison that I hadn’t thought of between interactivity and the augmentation/tool model of a computer. I guess I think (thought) of interactivity as part of the augmentation tradition while Dent quotes Suchman (Plans and Situated Actions) to the effect that computers when considered interactive are being treated as social objects like servants.

Characterizing the computer as an intentional interactive artifact lays the groundwork for several problems with computer use: it grants inappropriate power to the computer in the relationship between user and computer; it creates inappropriate expectations of the computer while at the same time lowering expectations of computer use; it lowers productivity.

One can see the problem with interactivity through Suchman’s characterization of interactive systems as reactive, linguistic and internally opaque. See my paper on interactivity, Turing’s Reaction where I explore interactivity and dialogue, but don’t take the next step and contrast it with augmentation.

For more on Chris Dent see his blog blog and a home page. He has some sort of interesting system that tags all paragraphs which I have to spend time figuring out. He also has a transclusion system (perhaps connected with the tagged paras) – glad to see someone trying to bring back this idea of Nelson’s.

-3 thoughts on “Interactivity and Augmentation”

  1. It sounded good on paper, but the simple answer is that the academics involved ran it into the ground. They had $1400 chairs in that place, it looked cool, had the V.R. cave and at the end of the day, in typical fashion, they blew it. Nothing came out of it, no great technology, just a lot of hot wind. I know students who worked there who said it was a joke. I know some of the faculty involved and can’t say I am the least bit surprised – pie in the sky ideas with no grounded sensibility. Another public taxpayer money project down the drain.

    Note: Some academics (not all) don’t have any business sense because they have no training in finances, and yet they are given millions of dollars to burn…

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