Appendix > Defintion of Terms > Technology Interventions
In the western world, technology has moved from a luxury or convenience to something of a necessity. This shift becomes apparent to anyone who has ever lost a cell phone, been unable to connect to the Internet or had their car breakdown. Moreover, technology allows us to know people differently. For example, I have different relationships with my phone contact than say with people I am friends with on Facebook.
Technology is not just a tool but is central to the way we live. Thus, it makes to use technology interventions as a way to understand how we live. It’s a different way to know someone.
Moreover, it shows the limits of formal interviews or survey performed by traditional user testing because they reflect an unmediated way of collecting data. I believe this tactic reflects a more accurate reflection people live because the method of collection is relatively objective.
In Portraits in People Knowing, technology interventions are used in both explicit and implicit ways. Examples of implicit interventions include the use of a GPS Tracking Devices and viewer comments on YouTube because their unmediated. On the other hand, projects like Text Story took a more conscious approach towards authoring.
