Session Description

Many of us carry smartphones wherever we go. Increasingly, we are leaning on them as active and passive gathering devices of data and images. Google Glass and other recording devices bring the question further front and center—how is our recording and perpetually digitally checking in affecting our everyday lives? How are those check-ins and recordings shifting our being “present” in our shared Now and Here? Are we increasingly taking the opportunity to be digitally Elsewhere and not Present?

Reflection

We enjoyed sharing insights at SXSW Interactive 2014 on this question — How is smartphone use pixelating reality, blowing it up and turning it into shiftable bits of data so we are making different decisions with its Time and Place?

We are experiencing a massive change in social and personal behavior, catalyzed by the increasing penetration of smartphones.  We have had digital cameras and cell phones for many years.  The intriguing shift stems from both (a) casual photography with no lag time to distribute and immediate connectivity, and (b) instant connecting with small screens wherever we go.

What has shifted?  This direction of thought looks at how this affects our Here and Now, as well as the question of being Together.

• How are we Present if we are always checking in to other information and places?
• Are we shifting our energies to auto-documenting our activities through pictures and other actions to the detriment of the activity and connections that we are experiencing live?

You can enjoy two elements of the presentation below.

First, this video outlines some of the questions we examined:

Second, here’s the SlideShare of the presentation from SXSW, without any audio.