Our bodies are made to manipulate, to move, to feel. I mean, the author states that too. When these «technologies» of the future are introduced, they not only hinder our bodies’ abilities, but also replace them with much more harmful ways of being.
First, to manipulate. In a way, we still manipulate these technologies and those to come in the future. We turn on, we scroll, we tap… Perhaps, but, how much agency do we actually have over what these technologies present to us? Particularly in the age of media, data privacy (or lack thereof), and consumption, these devices may become not only biased, but also use our own information against us. A hotel key card such as the one in the video, combined with all of one’s other passes and documents, can easily lay ground for infringement of privacy. But it’s not like this is not already present in some way. Apple wallet, for example, can keep all your cards and passes in one place. Although this digital wallet may be efficient, how safe do we know it is? How do we know that we are not giving it control over us, instead of it being the other way around?
Simultaneously, this digitization of everything limits our movement. We become lazy. When I was traveling back to Abu Dhabi from Paris this January, I was surprised to find out at the airport that check-in now happened through a machine. Clerks were only available if an issue arose. And well, many of the people checking in were facing issues, and there were only two people assisting. So it seems that technology now and in the future, under the pretense of efficiency, is just a way to lift work off of people that have a job to do – without even being efficient! Even the other day, I went to Mamsha, and found out that you don’t get a parking ticket anymore. The camera at the entrance reads your plate number, which you then give to the restaurant so they can validate your «ticket». It’s all so lazy, isn’t it? And even though these two examples may sound very banal, it applies to bigger things.
I think, at the end of the day, the issue is that quickness is prioritized over efficiency. Things are being transformed without actually taking into account how that will impact user capability AND behavior. They say, don’t fix what’s not broken. But not only do they «fix» what’s not broken, they also render the experience much harder than before.