by Francesco Lapenta, www.beingdigital.org
Technologies have traditionally been approached as ancillary tools in the history of mankind. Means used to master nature and our environment, or tools used to enhance creativity and communication. This once clear distinction between us humans, the technologies we use and the environments we live in, have been gradually eroding in the past few decades. What we see today cannot be characterised anymore as further evolution in a long process of technological development. Current technological evolutions are better understood as first steps in a complex redefinition of what it means to be human. Individuals, organisations, governments and industries, just like children, are evolving, changing, learning, internalising technology and socialising with an ever-changing reality where the distinction between who we are and what technology allows us to be, is becoming more and more blurred. To understand and guide this evolution requires a balanced and independent judgement, a sense of history, and above all a sense of purpose.
re:publica 2013: Mediated Life after Virtualization. A Critical Look at the Scenarios Forecast by New Wearable Augmented Reality Visualization Technologies.
