Does Tech Change Our Emotions?

What it is: In their new book Bored Lonely Angry Stupid, cultural historian Susan J. Matt and computer scientist Luke Fernandez go back in time to analyze how our perceptions of self, boredom, and loneliness have been impacted by technology.

Why it’s eye-opening: Their research shows that “emotions don’t just hold steady and get expressed through new devices. Devices transform them—teach us new habits, nurture new expectations, and model new behaviors, too.” For example, they discovered that the word “boredom” didn’t exist until the mid-19th century and that our ancestors expected times with nothing to do, so they weren’t thrown off when they came—unlike today when we expect to be entertained, validated, and surrounded by community at all times. Their book (or this interview about the book) is worth discussing with students. How do they think their expectations have been shaped by technology, both for good and bad? How do they view boredom? Alone time? Why do they think they see them that way?

This article taken from The Culture Translator Vol. 5, Issue 19.

https://axis.org/ct/

May 22

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