I had to share this, because I think the next new thing will not be more of the same. I think it will be a leap into a different way to interact through the online medium, something more satisfying to the participants.
There is no perfect online discourse. It reminds me of when you meet someone in a loud bar; eventually if you click, one of you says, “Let’s get out of here and grab a coffee.” Why is this? Because you want to see the other person in a richer environment; you want to see if, stripped of the background of noise and lights, what this person has to say still resonates with you.
I can’t tell you how many times on twitter I have moved from the constraints of 140 characters and a little lag into the real-time unlimited word usage of chat, and maybe from there to the phone. And had I had a teleportation device, my friend and I would have been sharing a coffee somewhere.
We are heading closer to where the noise of technology can recede into the background, unless you want it to be there- where you can reach over and switch on a video, for example, to share with a friend, and it will happen in an unobtrusive way.
What amazes me is how intense connections can be even with the noise. And I don’t want a Milo- I want more of you.
August 24th, 2009 on 9:27 am
Hmmm… the technology is very interesting. I can see where something like this could enhance a user’s experience by identifying the user and presenting an environment that is appealing to them based on that recognition.
There isn’t anything personal about it though, unless interacting with store mannequins is as meaningful to you is the same as interacting with a real human beings.
The cynic in me sees this as an extension of the automatic call director systems that we interact with when we call big corporations. My reaction to those systems is to frantically and randomly hit buttons on my phone hoping that I will eventually hit the right button or combination of buttons to connect me with a real human. The only thing more frustrating than an automatic call director system is one that doesn’t give me the option I need that caused me to make the call in the first place.
Yeah, I can see corporations implementing virtual humans to represent themselves to the public. They don’t need to pay them salaries, they don’t need health care benefits, they don’t need sleep or food, they don’t want days off or vacations. That might sound appealing to some corporate exec.
Diane, I agree with you. Social Media technologies have made it easier for us to interact with our clients on a personal level. As the relationships grow, we can foster even more meaningful communications by drilling down into the technology. The notion of meaningfully “touching” contacts with canned (as in spam) auto messages in this highly personal medium is preposterous.
What is even more creepy is the twinkle in the eyes of the producers of this video. They think this replacement for human interaction is actually a good thing!
August 24th, 2009 on 9:58 am
The twinkle was probably because of the gaming ramifications that this programming will immediately be able to affect.
I absolutely agree with your comments. It all depends on usage. I watch movies, and am sometimes so emotionally touched that I cry. I don’t know if they would be better with some of this technology breaking down the barriers of 2-D.
Corporations need to realize that there is no substitute for actual connection. And part of the problem when you break through the maze of the call system is that the human you reach is annoyed to be helping you. If certain large corporations were not monopolies within towns there is no way that I would stay with them.