Showing papers in "Human Technology in 2019"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors combined quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate the effects of lack in transparency on the perceived pleasantness of the conversation in addition to perceived human likeness and affinity for the conversational agent.
Abstract: Advances in artificial intelligence strengthen chatbots’ ability to resemble human conversational agents. For some application areas, it may be tempting not to be transparent regarding a conversational agent’s nature as chatbot or human. However, the uncanny valley theory suggests that such lack in transparency may cause uneasy feelings in the user. In this study, we combined quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate this issue. First, we used a 2 x 2 experimental research design (n = 28) to investigate effects of lack in transparency on the perceived pleasantness of the conversation in addition to perceived human likeness and affinity for the conversational agent. Second, we conducted an exploratory analysis of qualitative participant reports on these conversations. We did not find that a lack in transparency negatively affected user experience, but we identified three factors important to participants’ assessments. The findings are of theoretical and practical significance and motivate future research.
56 citations
TL;DR: The first studies dealing explicitly with the field appeared in the end of the 1990s and became an esta... as mentioned in this paper, and academic research on migration and the use of new media constitutes a growing field.
Abstract: Academic research on migration and the use of new media constitutes a growing field. The first studies dealing explicitly with the field appeared in the end of the 1990s. Now, it has become an esta ...
31 citations
26 citations
TL;DR: This article explored how an emphasis on exceptionalism is present throughout discussions about EVE by its developer, the enthusiast gaming press, and survey responses of current players (N = 647) and found that information from these sources reinforces a public perception that EVE is a game that is of interest only to a very specific kind of player.
Abstract: EVE Online is a space-themed massively multiplayer online game that has developed a reputation for being difficult and unwelcoming to new players. In this article, I explore how an emphasis on exceptionalism is present throughout discussions about EVE by its developer, the enthusiast gaming press, and survey responses of current players (N = 647). Taken together, information from these sources reinforces a public perception that EVE is a game that is of interest only to a very specific kind of player. In turn, these findings add further evidence to the long-argued position of feminist game scholars: Not all gaming communities are open to all players. Rather, who plays, what they play, when they play, and/or how often they play is shaped by the larger social context in which play occurs.
10 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the experiences and perceptions of volunteers and community managers of an Australian voluntary-sector organization that supports young help-seeking people using a codesign approach, which led to the development of specific features of the chat tool that were tailored to the nature of their work and organization.
Abstract: This paper presents an investigation into the experiences and perceptions of volunteers and community managers of an Australian voluntary-sector organization that supports young help-seeking people. The process focused specifically on the design of a chat tool, a rudimentary version of which was conceptualized and tested during a trial completed prior to this study. The process explored the motivations and experiences of these volunteers using a codesign approach, which led to the development of specific features of the chat tool that were tailored to the nature of their work and organization, as well as the sector-specific ethos. We employed several research methods, which included interviews, focus groups, and participatory design workshops. Thematic analyses were performed on the resultant qualitative data. The methods, motivational themes, and the ensuing design solutions that were implemented are discussed in detail with the aim of encouraging codesign of technology for voluntary-sector organizations.
8 citations
7 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors studied Finnish users of the online dating app Tinder searching for longterm partnerships, and they paid attention to the importance of photos in their social interactions, arguing that photos enhance intimacy building while dating on social media.
Abstract: While studying Finnish users of the online dating app Tinder searching for longterm partnerships, we paid attention to the importance of photos in their social interactions. Based on our study, we argue that photos play an important role in online dating. Initially, photos are chosen and uploaded to influence future interactions, particularly regarding who will contact them via their profile. We term this particular future tense of photography forecasted photos. Second, photos enabled the creation of copresence between dates, especially via instant messaging services instantly after capture. Third, the classic notions of photos depicting the past became important when wanting to be reminded of previous meetings. Taken together, we argue that photos enhance intimacy building while dating on social media. This role should be accounted for by paying attention not only to photography’s relation to the past or the present, but also to a future tense of photography.
7 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the occurrence of selected types of problematic social media and mobile phone use in emerging adults was investigated, specifically mobile phone overuse, phubbing, creeping, and catfishing.
Abstract: We investigated the occurrence of selected types of problematic social media and mobile phone use in emerging adults, specifically social media and mobile phone overuse, phubbing, creeping, and catfishing. Contemporaneous relations with age, gender, and Big Five personality traits were examined. The participants comprised 459 Slovenian emerging adults, aged 18 to 29 years (68% female). The results suggest that problematic behaviors associated with social media and mobile phone use, with the exception of catfishing, are relatively common among young people. The examined behaviors were negatively related to age, and overuse of mobile phones, social media, and creeping were more prevalent in females than males. The Big Five personality traits, most notably high neuroticism and low conscientiousness, uniquely predicted problematic social media and mobile phone use, after accounting for age, gender, and time spent on social media. Mobile phone overuse and phubbing were also associated with high extraversion and low openness, while low agreeableness was related to creeping and catfishing.
7 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide researchers and the wider public with an easily visualized structure that most harassment campaigns follow: the form of an inverted pyramid bearing down on an individual target, stratified into three orders of harassment, each defined by level of severity and invasiveness.
Abstract: Online harassment and various subcategories of it, like doxing and swatting, have attracted enormous interest for several years now—and particular interest in the world of game studies in the wake of 2014’s GamerGate harassment campaign. Such protracted, crowdsourced campaigns remain undertheorized, however. Using contemporary research to modify Georg Simmel’s formal sociological method, I provide researchers and the wider public with an easily visualized structure that most harassment campaigns follow: the form of an inverted pyramid bearing down on an individual target, stratified into three orders of harassment, each defined by level of severity and invasiveness. With this form, the public can more clearly visualize online harassment as a structural rather than individual phenomenon. This form makes a significant contribution to social media research by providing an approachable theoretical framework for future studies and can also frame design interventions on harassment.
6 citations
5 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the Fulbright-Nehru Award for Academic and Professional Excellence was given to the first author, who was a Fulbright student at the University of Southern California.
Abstract: This research was funded in part by a Fulbright-Nehru Award for Academic and Professional Excellence given to
the first author.
TL;DR: The authors of the current Human Technology issue approach the relationship between humans and their technologies from quite different angles as discussed by the authors, and two articles focus on chat technology, one focused on codesigning a chat tool for a voluntary-sector organization based on the experiences and needs of the volunteer workers, while the other explored the differences between communicating with a chatbot and a chat human, particularly when the chatbot's behavior approaches that of human interaction.
Abstract: The authors of the current Human Technology issue approach the relationship between humans and their technologies from quite different angles. Two articles focus on chat technology. In the first, by Khushnood Naqshbandi and her associates (Simon Hoermann, David Milne, Dorian Peters, Benjamin Davies, Sophie Potter, & Rafael A. Calvo), the authors focused on codesigning a chat tool for a voluntary-sector organization based on the experiences and needs of the volunteer workers. Meanwhile, in the second, Marita Skuvje and her colleagues (Ida Maria Haugstveit, Asbjørn Følstad, & Petter Bae Brandtzaeg) explored the differences between communicating with a chatbot and a chat human, particularly when the chatbot’s behavior approaches that of human interaction. Naveen Kumar and Jyoti Kumar, in their paper, discussed the next industrial revolution—Industry 4.0—and proposed a framework based on multiple formulae that address the various aspects of both the human and machine components in measuring the efficiency of future smart factories. However, the article by Subadra Panchanadeswaran and her coauthors (Ardra Manasi Unnithan, Shubha Chacko, Michael Brazda, Natalie Brooks Wilson, & Santushi Kuruppu) presents a very different perspective of smartness, that of smart phones used by sex workers in India and how this technology has transformed both the work and the workers. Finally, Patrick Lehane’s paper on software design explores a theme that is, in some form or another, present in all articles in this issue: the intuitive use of technology. Technological progress is not simply about inventing applications that automate activities previously conducted by humans. People still play key roles in operating a plethora of technological applications—to tell technologies what to do, where to go, what to produce, who to contact, and so on. No matter how complicated the automated machine, the human always is at some end to use, service, or manage it. However, that human must be trained—or she or he must otherwise feel confident enough in the skills needed—to operate the device. Intuitive use
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors show how game design and context of play influence progression through GraphoGame, an early-literacy game, and highlight the benefits that bridging game development and outcomes of play may hold for researchers, game developers, and educators.
Abstract: Researchers of serious games frequently investigate outcomes of play but overlook the underlying game-design components that drive those outcomes. In this paper, I aim to show how game design and context of play influence progression through GraphoGame, an early-literacy game. This is done by means of two intersecting studies. The first study shows how the game can be represented by a model that explicitly hypothesizes how the interaction between the player and the game drives progression. The second study explores user data generated by first graders (N = 137) who played the game over a period of 25 weeks as part of early literacy instruction. The juxtaposition of these two studies reveals factors that influence progression. I also highlight an underdeveloped area within the research field and point to the benefits that bridging game design and outcomes of play may hold for researchers, game developers, and educators.
TL;DR: The development of an instrument for analysts to evaluate the intuitiveness of software design is outlined and an early confirmation of the proposed structure for analysis of intuitive software design and use is confirmed.
Abstract: This paper reviews intuitive software design and outlines the development of an instrument for analysts to evaluate the intuitiveness of software design. Current intuition research outlines three requirements for intuitive use: (a) existing experiential domain knowledge and skills, (b) an unexplainable perception that a novel situation is contextually familiar, and (c) successful application of users’ previously acquired experiential knowledge and skills. A case study illustrates how these requirements can be specified, implemented, and evaluated. Questions to evaluate the characteristics of intuitive design and use resulted in an intuitive use evaluation of 3.2 on a scale of 0–4, indicating a perception of intuitive use. Subsequent factor analysis exposed three factors describing intuitive use: (a) Familiar User Expectations, (b) Confident Interactions, and (c) Leverage of Prior Learning. These factors map one-on-one to the requirements for intuitive use: providing an early confirmation of the proposed structure for analysis of intuitive software design and use.
TL;DR: The Legend of Zelda series is one of the most popular video game series in the world as discussed by the authors, and its protagonist is an androgynous male character, though recent conversations between Nintendo and players have focused on gender representation in the newest title in the series, Breath of the Wild.
Abstract: The Legend of Zelda series is one of the most beloved and acclaimed Japanese video game franchises in the world. The series’ protagonist is an androgynous male character, though recent conversations between Nintendo and players have focused on gender representation in the newest title in the series, Breath of the Wild. Considering these discussions, this article provides an analysis of Link, the protagonist and player character of The Legend of Zelda series. This analysis includes a discussion of the character’s androgynous design, its historical context, official Nintendo paratextual material, developer interviews, and commentary from fans and critics of the series. As an iconic androgynous character in an incredibly successful and popular video game series, Link is an important case study for gender-based game scholarship, and the controversies surrounding his design highlight a cultural moment in which gender representation in the series became a central topic of discussion among players and developers.
TL;DR: The Apollo 11 mission to the Moon as mentioned in this paper was a major milestone in the history of human technology. And it is widely considered to be the most significant event in human development in the last half century.
Abstract: Fifty years ago, a decade that was revolutionary in human development in many ways was drawing to a close. This period in the world’s history was as famous for love as for war, but also for big and small technological innovations. Consumers became acquainted with acronyms such as ATM, CD, LASER, LED, and UNIX—not to mention the mind-expanding LSD or the less dramatic medical innovation marketed as Valium, the “Mother’s Little Helper” epitomized by the Rolling Stones’ song available for purchase on the recently invented cassette audio tapes. Medical care took a huge step forward when, in April 1969, a mechanical heart was transplanted into a human. And, in the nascent computer field, the first message between two computers on the ARPANET was sent. This event, a half century ago, provided the roots for technological advances that eventually led to the modern-day Internet and World Wide Web (see, e.g., Drummer, 1997, pp. 185–202; Lindop, 2010, pp. 45–54). Perhaps the most ambitious technological innovation of the 1960s was space travel, with the first human in space being cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union in 1961. The space race between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the United States of America made the Americans determined to go to the moon before the Soviets and by the end of the decade. That ambitious vision, placing a man on the moon, was fulfilled in July 1969. The small step that astronaut Neil Armstrong took from the lunar lander onto the surface of the moon signified the giant leap forward for human innovation—the grand finale of the 1960s’ technological progress that simultaneously closed a major chapter of the technopolitical rivalry of the Cold War. One can certainly debate the many technological advances that have made greater immediate and long-term impact on humankind (e.g., the printing press, penicillin, the contraceptive pill, the steam engine) than the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. Nevertheless, the financial challenge, logistical demands, geopolitical significance, explorative dimensions, and the sheer drama of the event made the lunar mission the technological act of the 1960s, if not of human history. For example, after the moon landing and amid all the congratulatory greetings from foreign governments and dignitaries, U. S. President Nixon enthused that it was “the greatest week since