I just realized that I had sent this message to Jeff alone rather than the group, so here it is again. (As an aside,it looks like the list options have been set so that 'reply' goes to the poster rather than the group. I don't know whether the listmaster intentionally chose this setting -- I can see how "reply-to-poster" can prevent the occasional embarrassing situation, but it's a bit of pain to consciously have to choose reply-to--all each time.)
--------------------------- Jeff, nice site; also, now that I know you're a musician, I'm prepared to take back everything I said about music (since I merely appreciate music, but am not a musician)! At any rate ... since we're talking culture here ... almost everybody who speaks of 'modernization' treats the term synonymously with 'Westernization'. I read articles in magazines and newspapers and academic journals where the writer makes approving comments (without realizing how patronizing they sound) about how some society or organization looked 'modern' (always meaning 'Western'). Which becomes the One True Way. The Correct Political Systems, the Correct Social Values, the Correct Form of Attire, the Correct Food, the Correct Language, the Correct Forms of Entertainment, etc. and of course, the Correct Designs is equated to Whatever Is Being Done in The West Right Now. Things that the West no longer does are naturally, No Longer Correct. There is belief in a steady, monotonic improvement from last year to this year and on to the next. This the larger Weltanschauung within which the Designer from MIT operates. So her belief in the technology's worth for just about any social group out there is very strong. After all, everyday, every magazine, newspaper, journal, media source tells her than at least technology-wise, things are getting better and better. So whatever spouts forth from the center of her forehead, must be good. This is not unlike a strong religious belief and fervor. I know friends who are this way, and they are decent and smart people. Very informed too, but nevertheless. Consequently, it is often the Design Beneficiary's fault for not properly accepting and adopting the Gifted Design. Or so is the belief. And even where the Designer appreciates cultural differences, the hope is that One Day They Will Modernize ( i.e., Westernize). And then they can gain the full benefits of The Design. You're absolutely right that technology is implicit in all culture. Many technologists react with disbelief if they are told this. Again, that Weltanschauung thing. There is something called Adaptive Structuration Theory which explains how people Appropriate technologies according to their own culture and social structure regardless of how the technology was intended to be used. The designer sometimes (often?) views this outcome as a failure of her technology and intent. One strategy she uses to prevent such adaptive appropriation is to build in RESTRICTIONS in her design so that it can be used only in one (or a few) specific, anticipated ways. Where the user culture has no option, they might bend to the dictates of the technology, but in others, they may end up rejecting it. Regards, murli ________________________________________________________________ *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
