TEDWomen 2010
Amber Case: We are all cyborgs now
Amber Case: Agora todos somos ciborgs
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A tecnoloxía fainos evolucionar, di Amber Case, a medida que nos convertemos en homo sapiens mira-pantallas que pasan o tempo clicando botóns. Hoxe en día dependemos dos "cerebros externos" (os móbiles e as computadoras) para comunicarnos, recordar e mesmo para vivir vidas secundarias. Pero, en última instancia, estas máquinas poderán conectarnos ou dobregarnos? Amber Case ofrece unha visión sorprendente do noso "eu ciborg".
Amber Case - Cyborg Anthropologist
Amber Case studies the symbiotic interactions between humans and machines -- and considers how our values and culture are being shaped by living lives increasingly mediated by high technology. Full bio
Amber Case studies the symbiotic interactions between humans and machines -- and considers how our values and culture are being shaped by living lives increasingly mediated by high technology. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:15
I would like to tell you all
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Gustaríame dicirvos a todos
00:17
that you are all actually cyborgs,
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que sodes uns ciborgs
00:21
but not the cyborgs that you think.
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pero non do tipo que imaxinades.
00:23
You're not RoboCop, and you're not Terminator,
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Non sodes nin Robocop nin Terminator,
00:26
but you're cyborgs every time you look at a computer screen
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pero sodes ciborgs cada vez que mirades un monitor
00:28
or use one of your cell phone devices.
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ou usades algún dispositivo móbil.
00:31
So what's a good definition for cyborg?
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Cal sería unha boa definición de ciborg?
00:33
Well, traditional definition is "an organism
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A definición tradicional di que é un organismo
00:35
to which exogenous components have been added
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"ao que se lle engadiron elementos esóxenos
00:37
for the purpose of adapting to new environments."
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co fin de adaptarse a novos medios".
00:39
That came from a 1960 paper on space travel,
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O termo xurdiu nun artigo sobre viaxes espaciais en 1966.
00:42
because, if you think about it, space is pretty awkward.
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Porque, se vos parades a pensar, o espazo é bastante incómodo;
00:44
People aren't supposed to be there.
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suponse que a xente non debe estar alí.
00:46
But humans are curious, and they like to add things to their bodies
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Pero os humanos son curiosos e gústalles engadir cousas ao corpo
00:49
so they can go to the Alps one day
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para poder ir aos Alpes un día
00:51
and then become a fish in the sea the next.
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e ser como un peixe no mar ao seguinte.
00:53
So let's look at the concept of traditional anthropology.
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Consideremos o concepto da antropoloxía tradicional.
00:56
Somebody goes to another country,
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Alguén vai a outro país
00:58
says, "How fascinating these people are, how interesting their tools are,
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e di: "Que fascinante é esta xente, que interesantes son as súas ferramentas,
01:01
how curious their culture is."
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que curiosa é a súa cultura".
01:03
And then they write a paper, and maybe a few other anthropologists read it,
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E logo escriben un artigo, que se cadra lerán un par de antropólogos,
01:06
and we think it's very exotic.
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e cremos que é algo moi exótico.
01:08
Well, what's happening
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Ben, o que ocorre
01:11
is that we've suddenly found a new species.
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é que de repente atopamos unha nova especie.
01:14
I, as a cyborg anthropologist, have suddenly said,
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Eu, como antropóloga ciborg, díxenme de pronto:
01:16
"Oh, wow. Now suddenly we're a new form of Homo sapiens,
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"Vaia! Somos unha nova forma de homo sapiens.
01:19
and look at these fascinating cultures,
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Mirade estas culturas fascinantes.
01:21
and look at these curious rituals
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Mirade estes rituais curiosos
01:23
that everybody's doing around this technology.
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de toda esta xente arredor desta tecnoloxía.
01:25
They're clicking on things and staring at screens."
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Clican nunhas cousas e logo miran fixamente as pantallas".
01:28
Now there's a reason why I study this,
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Pero hai unha razón pola que estudo isto
01:30
versus traditional anthropology.
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en lugar da antropoloxía tradicional.
01:32
And the reason is that tool use,
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E a razón é que o uso de ferramentas
01:34
in the beginning -- for thousands and thousands of years,
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nos principios, durante miles e miles de anos,
01:37
everything has been a physical modification of self.
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implicou unha modificación física do ser.
01:40
It has helped us to extend our physical selves,
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Axudounos a estende-lo noso eu físico,
01:42
go faster, hit things harder,
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a ir máis rápido, a golpear cousas máis forte,
01:44
and there's been a limit on that.
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e iso tivo un límite.
01:46
But now what we're looking at is not an extension of the physical self,
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Pero agora o que observamos non é unha estensión física do eu,
01:49
but an extension of the mental self,
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senón unha estensión do eu mental.
01:51
and because of that, we're able to travel faster,
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E por iso podemos viaxar máis rápido
01:53
communicate differently.
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e comunicarnos de maneira diferente.
01:55
And the other thing that happens
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E a outra cousa que ocorre
01:57
is that we're all carrying around little Mary Poppins technology.
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é que todos levamos ás costas tecnoloxía do tipo Mary Poppins.
02:00
We can put anything we want into it, and it doesn't get heavier,
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Podemos engadirlle o que queiramos e non por iso pesará máis
02:03
and then we can take anything out.
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e logo podemos quitarlle o que sexa.
02:05
What does the inside of your computer actually look like?
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Como é o interior dunha computadora?
02:07
Well, if you print it out, it looks like a thousand pounds of material
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Ben, se se imprimise veríase como uns 450 quilos de material
02:10
that you're carrying around all the time.
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que van convosco todo o tempo.
02:12
And if you actually lose that information,
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E se perdedes esa información
02:15
it means that you suddenly have this loss in your mind,
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créase de súpeto un baleiro mental
02:18
that you suddenly feel like something's missing,
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e sentides como que vos falta algo,
02:21
except you aren't able to see it, so it feels like a very strange emotion.
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pero non o podedes ver e entón tedes unha sensación estraña.
02:24
The other thing that happens is that you have a second self.
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A outra cousa que ocorre é que un tedes un segundo eu.
02:27
Whether you like it or not, you're starting to show up online,
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Gústevos ou non, estades comezando a aparecer en liña,
02:29
and people are interacting with your second self
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e a xente está interactuando co voso segundo eu
02:31
when you're not there.
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cando non estades alí.
02:33
And so you have to be careful
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Por iso tedes que ser coidadosos
02:35
about leaving your front lawn open,
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ao expor o voso xardín dianteiro
02:37
which is basically your Facebook wall,
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que é, basicamente, o muro de Facebook
02:39
so that people don't write on it in the middle of the night --
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para que as persoas non escriban alí no medio da noite
02:41
because it's very much the equivalent.
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porque o efecto é máis ou menos o mesmo.
02:43
And suddenly we have to start to maintain our second self.
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E, de súpeto, temos que empezar a manter o noso segundo eu.
02:46
You have to present yourself in digital life
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Un ten que presentarse na vida dixital
02:48
in a similar way that you would in your analog life.
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de maneira similar a como o faría na vida analóxica.
02:51
So, in the same way that you wake up, take a shower and get dressed,
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Así que da mesma forma que cada día un se levanta, se ducha e se viste,
02:54
you have to learn to do that for your digital self.
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tedes que aprender a facer iso para o voso eu dixital.
02:56
And the problem is that a lot of people now,
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E o problema é que moita xente hoxe en día,
02:58
especially adolescents,
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sobre todo os adolescentes,
03:00
have to go through two adolescences.
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teñen que atravesar dúas adolescencias.
03:02
They have to go through their primary one, that's already awkward,
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Teñen que pasar pola primeira, e iso xa é algo incómodo,
03:05
and then they go through their second self's adolescence,
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e despois teñen que pasar pola adolescencia do seu segundo eu.
03:07
and that's even more awkward
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E iso é aínda máis incómodo
03:09
because there's an actual history
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porque hai unha historia real
03:12
of what they've gone through online.
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da súa actividade dixital.
03:14
And anybody coming in new to technology
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Calquera que entra nunha nova tecnoloxía
03:16
is an adolescent online right now,
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é un adolescente dixitais hoxe en día.
03:18
and so it's very awkward,
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Por iso é moi incómodo
03:20
and it's very difficult for them to do those things.
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e lle resulta moi difícil facer esas cousas.
03:23
So when I was little, my dad would sit me down at night and he would say,
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Cando era nena, meu pai adoitaba dicirme pola noite:
03:25
"I'm going to teach you about time and space in the future."
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"Vouche ensinar cousas sobre o tempo e o espazo no futuro".
03:27
And I said, "Great."
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Eu dicíalle: "Xenial!"
03:29
And he said one day, "What's the shortest distance between two points?"
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E un día dixo: "Cal é a distancia máis curta entre dous puntos?"
03:31
And I said, "Well, that's a straight line. You told me that yesterday."
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Eu respondinlle: "É a liña recta. Dixéchesmo onte".
03:34
I thought I was very clever.
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Eu pensaba que era moi intelixente.
03:36
He said, "No, no, no. Here's a better way."
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El díxome: "Non, non, non. Hai unha maneira mellor".
03:39
He took a piece of paper,
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Colleu un anaco de papel,
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drew A and B on one side and the other
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debuxou un A e un B a cada lado,
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and folded them together so where A and B touched.
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e dobrouno de maneira que A e B se tocasen.
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And he said, "That is the shortest distance between two points."
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E dixo: "Esa é a distancia máis curta entre dous puntos".
03:49
And I said, "Dad, dad, dad, how do you do that?"
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Díxenlle: "Papi, papi, papi, como se fai?"
03:51
He said, "Well, you just bend time and space,
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Díxome: "Ben, só hai que doblar o tempo e o espazo,
03:53
it takes an awful lot of energy,
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iso precisa dunha gran cantidade de enerxía,
03:55
and that's just how you do it."
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e así é como se fai".
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And I said, "I want to do that."
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E díxenlle: "Quero facer iso".
03:59
And he said, "Well, okay."
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Respondeume: "Está ben".
04:01
And so, when I went to sleep for the next 10 or 20 years,
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E así, cada noite durante os seguientes 10 ou 20 anos
04:04
I was thinking at night,
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pensaba ao me deitar:
04:06
"I want to be the first person to create a wormhole,
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"Quero se-la primeira persoa en crear un buraco de verme,
04:08
to make things accelerate faster.
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para facer que as cousas aceleren máis rápido.
04:10
And I want to make a time machine."
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E quero facer unha máquina do tempo".
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I was always sending messages to my future self
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Sempre estaba a mandar mensaxes ao meu eu futuro
04:14
using tape recorders.
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usando grabadoras.
04:19
But then what I realized when I went to college
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Pero logo decateime na universidade
04:21
is that technology doesn't just get adopted
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que a tecnoloxía non se adopta
04:23
because it works.
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só porque funciona;
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It gets adopted because people use it
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adóptase porque a xente a usa
04:27
and it's made for humans.
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e porque está feita para humanos.
04:29
So I started studying anthropology.
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Así que empecei a estudar antropoloxía.
04:31
And when I was writing my thesis on cell phones,
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E cando estaba escribindo a miña tese sobre teléfonos móbiles
04:33
I realized that everyone was carrying around wormholes in their pockets.
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decateime de que todo o mundo levaba buracos de verme nos seus petos.
04:36
They weren't physically transporting themselves;
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Non os transportaban físicamente
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they were mentally transporting themselves.
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pero si que os transportaban mentalmente.
04:40
They would click on a button,
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Eles cun clic nun botón
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and they would be connected as A to B immediately.
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conectábanse nun intre coma A e B.
04:45
And I thought, "Oh, wow. I found it. This is great."
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E pensei: "Guau, atopeino, isto é xenial!"
04:47
So over time, time and space
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Co tempo, o tempo e o espazo
04:49
have compressed because of this.
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comprimíronse gracias a isto.
04:51
You can stand on one side of the world,
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Un pode estar nunha punta do mundo
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whisper something and be heard on the other.
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murmurar algo e ser escoitado na outra punta.
04:55
One of the other ideas that comes around
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Outra das ideas que andan dando voltas
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is that you have a different type of time on every single device that you use.
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é que un ten distintos tipos de tempo en cada un dos dispositivos que usa.
05:00
Every single browser tab gives you a different type of time.
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Cada pestana do navegador danos un tipo de tempo diferente.
05:03
And because of that, you start to dig around
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E debido a isto un empeza a escarvar
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for your external memories -- where did you leave them?
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buscando as memorias externas...onde as deixaches?
05:07
So now we're all these paleontologists
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Así que agora todos somos paleontólogos
05:09
that are digging for things that we've lost
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escarvando en busca de cousas perdidas
05:11
on our external brains that we're carrying around in our pockets.
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nos nosos cerebros externos que levamos no peto.
05:14
And that incites a sort of panic architecture --
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E isto provoca unha especie de arquitectura do pánico.
05:16
"Oh no, where's this thing?"
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Ai Deus! Onde o puxen?
05:18
We're all "I Love Lucy" on a great assembly line of information,
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Somos todos como "Eu amo a Lucy" nunha gran liña de producción de información
05:21
and we can't keep up.
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e non podemos mante-lo ritmo.
05:24
And so what happens is,
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E o que termina pasando
05:26
when we bring all that into the social space,
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cando levamos todo iso ao espazo social
05:28
we end up checking our phones all the time.
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é que miramos o teléfono todo o tempo.
05:30
So we have this thing called ambient intimacy.
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Temos algo chamado "intimidade ambiente".
05:32
It's not that we're always connected to everybody,
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Non se trata de estar sempre conectado con todos
05:34
but at anytime we can connect to anyone we want.
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senón que en calquera momento podemos conectarnos con calquera.
05:37
And if you were able to print out everybody in your cell phone,
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E se puidesemos imprimir tódolos contactos do teléfono
05:39
the room would be very crowded.
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a sala estaría abarrotada de xente.
05:41
These are the people that you have access to right now, in general --
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Estas son as persoas ás que tedes acceso agora mesmo, en xeral,
05:44
all of these people, all of your friends and family that you can connect to.
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todas estas persoas, tódolos amigos e familiares cos que podedes contactar.
05:47
And so there are some psychological effects that happen with this.
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Hai algúns efectos psicolóxicos derivados disto.
05:50
One I'm really worried about
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Un que me preocupa moito
05:52
is that people aren't taking time for mental reflection anymore,
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é que as persoas xa non dedican tempo ningún a reflexionar
05:55
and that they aren't slowing down and stopping,
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e que non desaceleran nin paran,
05:57
being around all those people in the room all the time
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ao estar preto de todas esas persoas da sala todo o tempo
05:59
that are trying to compete for their attention
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que tratan de competir pola súa atención
06:01
on the simultaneous time interfaces,
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nas distintas interfaces concurrentes;
06:03
paleontology and panic architecture.
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paleontoloxía e arquitectura do pánico.
06:05
They're not just sitting there.
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Non só están sentados alí.
06:07
And really, when you have no external input,
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E, realmente, cando un non ten impulsos externos;
06:10
that is a time when there is a creation of self,
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nese momento é cando se produce a creación do eu,
06:12
when you can do long-term planning,
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cando podedes facer plans a longo prazo,
06:14
when you can try and figure out who you really are.
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cando podedes tratar de descubrir quen sodes en realidade.
06:17
And then, once you do that, you can figure out
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E logo, unha vez que o facedes, podedes pensar
06:19
how to present your second self in a legitimate way,
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como presentar o segundo eu de maneira lexítima,
06:21
instead of just dealing with everything as it comes in --
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no canto de enfrontarse a todo tal e como vén
06:23
and oh, I have to do this, and I have to do this, and I have to do this.
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e estar: "oh, teño que facer isto, e isto, e isto outro".
06:26
And so this is very important.
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Por iso isto é moi importante.
06:28
I'm really worried that, especially kids today,
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Preocúpame moito que, sobre todo os nenos de hoxe,
06:30
they're not going to be dealing with this down-time,
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non van experimentar este tempo de inactividade
06:33
that they have an instantaneous button-clicking culture,
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xa que teñen unha cultura do clic instantáneo
06:35
and that everything comes to them,
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e que todo vén a eles;
06:37
and that they become very excited about it and very addicted to it.
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iso entusiásmalles moito e xéralles dependencia.
06:40
So if you think about it, the world hasn't stopped either.
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Así que, se o pensan ben, o mundo tampouco se detivo.
06:43
It has its own external prosthetic devices,
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Ten as súas propias próteses externas
06:45
and these devices are helping us all
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e estes dispositivos axúdannos a todos
06:47
to communicate and interact with each other.
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a comunicarnos e interactuar uns con outros.
06:49
But when you actually visualize it,
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Pero cando o visualizamos realmente,
06:51
all the connections that we're doing right now --
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tódalas conexións que temos agora mesmo
06:53
this is an image of the mapping of the Internet --
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-esta é unha imaxe da interconxión de Internet-
06:56
it doesn't look technological.
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non parece moi tecnolóxico;
06:58
It actually looks very organic.
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parece máis ben algo orgánico.
07:00
This is the first time in the entire history of humanity
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Esta é a primeira vez en toda a historia da Humanidade
07:03
that we've connected in this way.
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que nos conectamos desta forma.
07:06
And it's not that machines are taking over.
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E non é que as máquinas estean a toma-lo control;
07:09
It's that they're helping us to be more human,
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senón que nos están axudando a ser máis humanos,
07:11
helping us to connect with each other.
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nos están axudando a conectarnos mutuamente.
07:13
The most successful technology gets out of the way
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A tecnoloxía máis exitosa faise á un lado
07:16
and helps us live our lives.
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e axúdanos a vivi-las nosas vidas.
07:18
And really,
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E, en realidade,
07:20
it ends up being more human than technology,
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acaba sendo algo máis humano que tecnolóxico
07:23
because we're co-creating each other all the time.
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porque estamos co-creándonos uns aos outros todo o tempo.
07:25
And so this is the important point that I like to study:
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E este é o punto importante que me gustaría estudar:
07:28
that things are beautiful, that it's still a human connection --
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que as cousas son hermosas, que todavía existe unha conexión humana;
07:31
it's just done in a different way.
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só que se realiza dun modo diferente.
07:33
We're just increasing our humanness
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Estamos aumentando a nosa humanidade
07:35
and our ability to connect with each other, regardless of geography.
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e a nosa capacidade de conectarnos uns cos outros malia a xeografía.
07:38
So that's why I study cyborg anthropology.
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É por iso que estudo antropoloxía ciborg.
07:40
Thank you.
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Grazas.
07:42
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Amber Case - Cyborg AnthropologistAmber Case studies the symbiotic interactions between humans and machines -- and considers how our values and culture are being shaped by living lives increasingly mediated by high technology.
Why you should listen
Amber Case is a cyborg anthropologist, examining the way humans and technology interact and evolve together. Like all anthropologists, Case watches people, but her fieldwork involves observing how they participate in digital networks, analyzing the various ways we project our personalities, communicate, work, play, share ideas and even form values. Case founded Geoloqi.com, a private location-sharing application, out of a frustration with existing social protocols around text messaging and wayfinding.
Case, who predicts that intensification of the human-technology interface will quickly reduce the distance between individual and community, believes that the convergence of technologies will bring about unprecedented rapid learning and communication. Dubbed a digital philosopher, Case applies her findings to such fields as information architecture, usability and online productivity. She’s currently working on a book about using anthropological techniques to understand industry ecosystems.
Amber Case | Speaker | TED.com