Excellent observations. That technology makes nearly everyone an addictive, in traffic, museums, conferences... If you don't care, it will also destroy real existing, excellent personal relations in the short run, because not everybody loves pople playing constantly with their private information flood. What we need is public ostracism of such compulsive conduct.

Christian

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Dear colleagues:

 

Indulgence coveted for cross-postings.

 

This most recent post on the Critical Museology Miscellanea blog argues that device apps employed as interpretation strategies in museum galleries actually undermine the quality & extent of direct experience with the museum collections on exhibit.

 

Communication technology apps are designed to monopolise user attention. One type of in-gallery beacon proximity marketing IT app for smartphones provides “ping” notifications with interpretive information & activities to visitor phones.

 

Of course, the problem with this type of interpretive technology is that smartphones are observable on the street, personally experienced, & demonstrable through research to be “behaviourally addictive,” defined as: any compulsive conduct not substance-related that undermines well-being in at least one respect (Alter 2017).

 

One supplier of beacon technology admits “It is nearly impossible to rip away someone’s attention from their smartphone,” & so it would seem it will also be “nearly impossible to rip” visitor attention back to exhibition content.

 

The main question at hand then becomes: do museums want to serve society by enabling even more such addictive behaviour in our exhibition galleries?

 

See a detailed, documented analysis of this & related questions at https://miscellaneousmuseology.wordpress.com/2018/01/17/get-noses-pressed-up-to-vitrines-not-devices/ .  Comments are welcome & encouraged to extend a needed dialogue on these matters.

 

Reference Cited:

 

Alter, Adam. 2017. Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technologies and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked. New York: Penguin Press.

 

Respectfully yours

 

Paul C. Thistle

Critical Museology Miscellanea Blog https://miscellaneousmuseology.wordpress.com/

Solving Museum Worker Task Saturation Blog http://solvetasksaturation.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/hello-world/

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