{"id":7037,"date":"2018-03-19T10:22:48","date_gmt":"2018-03-19T10:22:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/?p=7037"},"modified":"2018-03-19T10:24:25","modified_gmt":"2018-03-19T10:24:25","slug":"review-of-radical-technologies-by-adam-greenfield","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2018\/03\/review-of-radical-technologies-by-adam-greenfield\/","title":{"rendered":"Review of Radical Technologies by Adam Greenfield\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It has been a few months since I finished reading Adam Greenfield\u2019s Radical Technologies: the design of everyday life.\u00a0 <\/em>In that time, a robot called Fabio was hired and fired by a supermarket in Edinburgh, Stylist magazine published an AI issue featuring algorithm authored articles and a fashion shoot with Sophia, a humanoid robot<\/a> and Boston Dynamic\u2019s robodogs mesmerised us all with their door opening abilities.<\/p>\n

The glut of AI related news succumbs to a confusion that, as some would have it, not only serves the aims of techno-capitalism but has been deliberately orchestrated to do so.\u00a0 \u00a0The main reason for this claim is that, whilst over the years AI has referred to different technologies, the latest iteration is a rebranding exercise by major Silicon Valley companies which conflates several different developments (machine learning, deep learning, virtual reality and so on) under the single term and whose \u2018common denominator is the use of expensive computing power to analyze massive centralized data\u2019. AI is now synonymous with Big Data, a definition that now informs both academic research and mainstream discourse.<\/p>\n

Yuval Harari in Homo Deus<\/em><\/a>, an often frustratingly glib but ultimately hair raising account of the new \u2018religion\u2019 of Dataism, invites us to think and behave differently in order to circumvent a future whereby \u2018unenhanced humans\u2019 will become obsolete as technology is increasingly harnessed in the deterministic drive towards efficiency and profit. \u00a0For lay people, like myself, knowing how to think and behave differently sounds appealing but is fiendishly problematic in the current AI infused zeitgeist. Not only is there an elision of technological terminology in the term AI but a lack of agreement as to what \u2018intelligence\u2019 means in the first place. \u00a0Add to this the fact that much mainstream material on the subject is what Judith Squires describes as \u2018technophoric cyberdrool\u2019 or downright terrifying (think Black Mirror) and we could be forgiven for self-medicating with videos of baby rhinos.<\/p>\n

What a relief then that Greenfield\u2019s Radical Technologies<\/em> is ready to hand offering a measured counterbalance to all of the above.\u00a0 This is a highly readable, informed and reflective overview of the key technologies at play in our lives today. In each chapter he offers an explication and analysis on the uses and, crucially, an ethical consideration of a range of key technological developments \u2013Smartphones, Machine Learning, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and so on.\u00a0 Thanks to Greenfield\u2019s patient explication I have (almost) understood Bitcoin (maybe too late if recent reports are to be believed).<\/p>\n

In a chapter on the Internet of Things, Greenfield borrows Bradley Dilger<\/a>\u2019s phrase \u2018the ideology of ease\u2019 to describe what underpins the lure of increased connectivity. \u2018The tendency towards laziness, is near universal throughout the internet of things world\u2019 (p42).\u00a0 A case in point is the Amazon\u00a0Dash Button, <\/strong>a Wi-Fi connected device that reorders your favourite product when it is running out.\u00a0\u00a0 With its plug and play hyper-connected functions, the Dash button makes a whole series of technical decisions for us, something that appeals not only to our laziness but to our lack of knowledge (and frequent dislike of) technical processes.<\/p>\n

As someone who works in education, I often hear that the main barriers to the use of educational technology is that it is not \u2018intuitive\u2019. The desire is for a seamless user experience with no \u2018pain points\u2019 for lecturers in setting up activities on the VLE.\u00a0 Greenfield asks what is being effaced in this drive for ease or intuitiveness? \u00a0What decisions might we be best retaining authorship over, pain points and all?<\/p>\n

Vulnerability is one price we pay. Greenfield reports being able to effortlessly \u2018spy\u2019 on two women working in a stockroom in Davao City and, chillingly, sleeping babies, only some amongst countless unwitting subjects live streamed onto the web through cheap, unsecured plug \u2018n play webcams.\u00a0 It is not that we are consciously prepared to sacrifice privacy for peace of mind but that, \u2018for our own convenience\u2019, these devices set themselves up and, in the process, enable us to bypass all the settings that give us some control over the information we share with others.<\/p>\n

Greenfield adds a much needed ethical dimension to discussions around technology. Central to the ideology of ease is that for the sake of convenience we forget our connection and responsibility to others. For many of us, our lives intractably bound up in our phones. Many people I know use them to tweet about misogyny, Trump, animal welfare or the evil of plastics.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m typing this on a Mac laptop. \u00a0Yet we know about the exploitative conditions that workers in Shenzhen City and Congo mines endure (including many children) to produce our smart devices.\u00a0 We know and yet forget on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

Finally, what we relinquish in our quest for ease is the fact of being human in all its messiness \u2013 the inconvenience of other bodies in shared physical spaces, miscommunications, illness, suffering and, ultimately, death. As Greenfield says, it is hard to argue against a technology that \u2018glimmers with the promise of transcendence\u2019 but any democratic aspirations that technology can end conditions of deficit for all –\u00a0 material, physical, psychological – would pose \u2018a grave challenge\u2019 to the model of scarcity on which capitalism depends. \u00a0\u00a0It is easier \u2018to see the end of the world than the end of capitalism.\u2019<\/p>\n

Those in Silicon Valley want us to believe in algorithms as the only objective \u2018intelligence\u2019 capable of gleaning sense from the limitless data delivered through connected devices but this is based on a diminished view of human intelligence. It is the \u2018view from nowhere\u2019 that pervades AI research (Adam 2006), bereft of embodied subjectivity and assumed to \u2018be motivated by rational pursuit of goals\u2019.\u00a0 By relinquishing accountability to algorithms, we make way for \u2018AI experts\u2019 and entrepreneurs to present themselves \u2018the architects of society\u2019 (Katz)<\/p>\n

With care, thought and an informed perspective, we can plant the seeds of a more generous and wise future but only if we ask \u2018What do we choose to do with our technologies\u2019 instead of \u2018What does our technology let us do.\u2019 Greenfield reminds us that this all too human intelligence is still within our reach.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/a>References: <\/strong><\/p>\n

Greenfield, Adam (2017) Radical Technologies: The design of everyday life. Verso, London.<\/p>\n

Harari, Yuval Noah ( 2016) Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. Harvill Secker, London<\/p>\n

Katz, Yarden, Manufacturing an Artificial Intelligence Revolution (November 27, 2017). Available at SSRN: https:\/\/ssrn.com\/abstract=3078224<\/a> or http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.2139\/ssrn.3078224 <\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Squires, J (2000) Fabulous feminist<\/em> futures and the lure of cyberculture in The cybercultures reader. Routledge, London.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dr. Isobel Bowditch works as a Educational Developer at the Centre for Research Informed Teaching, London South Bank University , i.bowditch@lsbu.ac.uk <\/p><\/a><\/p>\n

If you enjoyed reading this article we invite you to join the Association for Learning Technology (ALT) as an individual member, and to encourage your own organisation to join ALT as an organisational or sponsoring member<\/p><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It has been a few months since I finished reading Adam Greenfield\u2019s Radical Technologies: the design of everyday life.\u00a0 In that time, a robot called Fabio was hired and fired by a supermarket in Edinburgh, Stylist magazine published an AI issue featuring algorithm authored articles and a fashion shoot with Sophia, a humanoid robot and […]","protected":false},"author":163,"featured_media":7043,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[753,1019],"class_list":["post-7037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-reviews","tag-bookreview","tag-technology"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2018\/03\/June_Lockhart.png?fit=540%2C631&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7392,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2018\/08\/how-can-we-identify-and-communicate-ideas-and-discussions-about-the-digital-society\/","url_meta":{"origin":7037,"position":0},"title":"How Can We Identify and Communicate Ideas and Discussions about the Digital Society?","author":"rchallen","date":"29 August 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Every summer I take the opportunity of catching up on some reading on technology. Sometimes this involves going through the back catalogue of journal articles that I\u2019ve not managed to follow during the year, but this year, perhaps because of the heat wave, I was drawn to more thought-provoking material.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ALT25"","block_context":{"text":"ALT25","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/alt25\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2018\/08\/boook.jpg?fit=822%2C519&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2018\/08\/boook.jpg?fit=822%2C519&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2018\/08\/boook.jpg?fit=822%2C519&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2018\/08\/boook.jpg?fit=822%2C519&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12777,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2025\/01\/alt-souths-activities-over-last-year-and-next-generative-and-ai-futures-in-higher-and-further-education\/","url_meta":{"origin":7037,"position":1},"title":"ALT South’s activities over last year\u00a0and\u00a0next – Generative and AI futures in\u00a0higher and further education","author":"ALT","date":"16 January 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The ALT South group, your regional friendly network for the Association for Learning Technology (ALT) members and beyond, continues to champion the integration of cutting-edge technologies into higher and further education settings. Building on our commitment to exploring the evolving landscape of Generative (GenAI) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ALT South MG"","block_context":{"text":"ALT South MG","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/altsouth\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/01\/image3.jpg?fit=1000%2C563&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/01\/image3.jpg?fit=1000%2C563&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/01\/image3.jpg?fit=1000%2C563&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/01\/image3.jpg?fit=1000%2C563&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11768,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2023\/12\/this-house-believes-that-education-has-control-of-the-technology-policy-and-processes-being-used-part-1-of-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":7037,"position":2},"title":"This house believes that Education has control of the technology, policy and processes being used (Part 1 of 2)","author":"ALT","date":"8 December 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Report on the live debate on (learning) technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) hosted by the ALT East England. A panel of academic staff, professional service staff, sector experts, and students met on 21st June 2023 to discuss the rapid pace of AI and related technologies and the extent to which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ALT East England MG"","block_context":{"text":"ALT East England MG","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/alt-east-england-mg\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"About ALT East England","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2020\/05\/About-ALT-East-England-1.jpg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2020\/05\/About-ALT-East-England-1.jpg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2020\/05\/About-ALT-East-England-1.jpg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2020\/05\/About-ALT-East-England-1.jpg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11771,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2023\/12\/this-house-believes-that-education-has-control-of-the-technology-policy-and-processes-being-used-part-2-of-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":7037,"position":3},"title":"This house believes that Education has control of the technology, policy and processes being used (Part 2 of 2)","author":"ALT","date":"15 December 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The second part of the report on the live debate on (learning) technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) hosted by the ALT East England (ALT EE). This blog post concludes the debate to discuss the rapid pace of AI and related technologies and the extent to which institutions were still in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ALT East England MG"","block_context":{"text":"ALT East England MG","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/alt-east-england-mg\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"About ALT East England","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2020\/05\/About-ALT-East-England-1.jpg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2020\/05\/About-ALT-East-England-1.jpg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2020\/05\/About-ALT-East-England-1.jpg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2020\/05\/About-ALT-East-England-1.jpg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6916,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2018\/02\/emerging-learning-technologies\/","url_meta":{"origin":7037,"position":4},"title":"Emerging Learning Technologies","author":"rowellc","date":"13 February 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Along with DevLearn in Las Vegas, Learning Technologies in London shares the top spot for largest learning technology exhibition and conference in the world and I had the privilege of attending again this year. Learning Technologies is my favourite conference of the year (sorry ALT!), from the incredible industry-leading speakers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Conference reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Conference reviews","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/reviews\/conference-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Photo of Don Taylor","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2018\/02\/Don-Taylor.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2018\/02\/Don-Taylor.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2018\/02\/Don-Taylor.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2018\/02\/Don-Taylor.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2018\/02\/Don-Taylor.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11603,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2023\/10\/generative-ai-tools-gaits-in-higher-education-advocating-for-a-strategic-approach\/","url_meta":{"origin":7037,"position":5},"title":"Generative AI Tools (GAITs) in Higher Education: Advocating for a strategic approach","author":"Rachel Heyes","date":"17 October 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Assistive tools promote independence, productivity, and participation in society. We call for a deeper, more open dialogue around student's use of Generative AI Tools (GAITs) within HE.","rel":"","context":"In "Blog post"","block_context":{"text":"Blog post","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/post\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A student wearing a headscarf sits outside in front of a laptop computer with one hand pointed to her head in contemplation, and one hand on the laptop","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2023\/10\/pexels-keira-burton-60842721.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2023\/10\/pexels-keira-burton-60842721.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2023\/10\/pexels-keira-burton-60842721.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6CxU9-1Pv","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7037"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7037\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7208,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7037\/revisions\/7208"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}