A few years ago Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone, challenged the HCI community at a CHI keynote address to design technologies to help regenerate the community centers and community groups that modern american society had lost since the ‘50s. I felt at the time, listening to him talk, that he didn’t actually believe the solution to the modern culture of social isolation was through social technologies, though he urged us to give it a try. Despite my own proclivity for social technologies I have to say I agreed. Encouraging people to sit in front of their desktop computers hardly seemed like a good alternative to old fashioned face to face interaction (though…better than TV, but what isn’t?). The virtual “Third Place” that provides people with opportunities to build and interact with their communities is still, well, virtual.
I find though that my understanding of how we can enhance community through technology has evolved quite bit through recent studies/projects with mobile technologies: not because they help you find a third place, but because they enable you to take your third place with you wherever you are. Through your cell phone and your laptop, you have access to any one in your community irrespective of colocation in time or place. You can serendipitously meet someone at any time. Through Slam, and Dodgeball, I have continuous, moment to moment awareness of social activity around town. It makes everyone seem very close, and finding someone to play with is as easy as falling off a log.
I saw this and almost wanted to spit teeth with excitement: http://www.smartmobs.com/archive/2005/12/22/kiddie_smart_mo.html. Kiddie Smart Mobs, kindergartener’s having access to their social network through mobile technology. I’ve only had a cell phone for about six years, but when I lost my phone recently, and all my cell phone numbers (over 300!), I felt completely isolated and alone. When I am stuck in a room for 24 hours without internet access, I feel claustrophobic. Can you imagine what it’ll be like for these kids, growing up with continuous access to their network of people from such a young age? Wherever they are, they are a node in their mobile network, providing their own continuous third place…
