Jul 17, 2010
An articulation of the thought I’ve been chasing.
“The way in which humans deal with physical objects has been formed by extensive interaction and, according to the theory of embodied cognition, has led to conceptualization and interpretation that is grounded in physical interaction of the body with elements in the environment. Digital objects are immaterial and cannot show similar external properties as physical objects, and further, they are representational in nature. Specific problems related to their immaterial nature are those of permanence, location, and ownership…It is concluded that the importance of the distinction between direct physical objects and immaterial objects has been vastly underestimated, at the cost of usability, trust and security.”
—Don G Bouwhuis, (2006) “Perception and interpretation of internet information: accessibility, validity and trust”, Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, Vol. 4 Iss: 1, pp.7 – 16