There is a great deal of topical discussion around interactive environments; smart cities, digital urban landscapes and the like. However, most of these discussions are driven by those with a vested interest in the technology.
These discussions conveniently ignore the vast numbers of people that do not have ‘smart’ phones, or do not want to have their privacy invaded by ‘targeted ads’ in public spaces, or want to directly experience a space using our own built-in sophisticated senses. It should never be forgotten that old technology still works and is still more inclusive than digital models at present.
I am greatly interested in technology that empowers users, providing them with the choices they want and the information they need. I am not interested in technology that embraces social media simply because. Our environments need to be revealed and physically experienced, and not draped with some fake augmented reality that disengages us from reality.
Think about the way Sat Nav has disengaged people from the experience of the journey; people walking around engaged with their smartphones, but oblivious to what is happening around them — often stepping in front of traffic or getting in other people’s way. Technology can disengage us as much as it has the potential to enrich our experiences of environments.