What is it about?
Information processing software (document libraries, word processors, spreadsheets, email, etc.) is where information goes to die: why? This essay explores the way in which such systems are set up, and claims that they fall short because they are not properly shaped like human consciousness: therefore any human that wishes to work with them must first compromise on their ideas. The essay seeks to: 1. define what it means to be shaped like human consciousness, 2. quantify this property, 3. explore how we might reform our systems with this in mind.
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Photo by Mark Stenglein on Unsplash
Why is it important?
There is a feedback loop between computers, our ideas and how we think. Because computers change how we think, and how we think changes what sorts of computers we build, we are in danger of getting trapped in a cycle: poor software causes us to think in flawed, simplistic ways, which then leads to even more poor software. If this effect is not corrected, there may be no going back.
Perspectives
I hope that reading this article gives people both a feel for now damaging poorly-designed software can be to our consciousness and society, and a quantitative framework through which to advocate for better software.
Founder and CEO Oliver Cox
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Purpose of a System Is How We Shape It, interactions, August 2023, ACM (Association for Computing Machinery),
DOI: 10.1145/3613906.
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