I’m definitely not a social media expert, but it’s comforting to know I was right about one thing – what we saw in Minority Report isn’t too far from the future.
We watched this video in class yesterday. It made me wonder, what else were we missing? What other things that we previously thought were impossible but were already created?
This Sixth Sense technology is intriguing. Groundbreaking, in fact. I’m guessing that if designers turn it into a really sleek looking gizmo, it’ll be the next iPhone. It’ll be beyond that.
You wouldn’t even have to turn on your laptop or mobile phone anymore. Just waggle your fingers and all the information is displayed. It’s definitely immensely convenient – you carry less baggage. No watch, no calculator, no maps, no anything. Just you and the little gizmo.
Would I buy it?
No.
It’s important for me to get to know a person gradually, to interact with them. A word cloud popping up on another person’s chest is just so…if it happened to me, I’ll feel extremely violated. It’s almost like digital rape. Words like “food”, “cameras” or “school” – they don’t describe me. I mean, sure, they’re a starting point – but it isn’t me. Of course, one thing to note is, if you put it on the Internet, don’t blame others for knowing things about you.
I think the simplest thing to do is: if you don’t want anyone to know anything, don’t say it. Especially not on the Internet.
I was at a press conference today, and the Associate Professor from NUS (one of the guest speakers) remarked: “Google never forgets.”
I agree. I’ve always tried to be careful about my digital footprint, not putting my full name or contact details onto my more recent blogs. I think this class has made me even more paranoid. People can know so much about you so easily and use it against you.
It’s also important for me to be able to touch, see and feel things. It’s about the experience. What’s so old-fashioned about wanting to stroll through a supermarketing, flipping products over, looking through labels and then choosing what you want? Technology speeds things up, so we do things a lot faster. We talk faster, we eat faster, we walk faster and we’re so impatient and demanding now.
Slow down, and smell the roses.
