3 ms·

I think you have good points, but I disagree with "There's a reflex for a person to think of themselves as using a single role" -- weirdly enough, humans are so

I think you have good points, but I disagree with "There's a reflex for a person to think of themselves as using a single role" -- weirdly enough, humans are so hardwired to manage complex social situations that they can manage a few different personas intuitively, along with linguistic and bodily cues about who they are trying to be. Even children do this. (Well, Zuckerberg might not find personas, roles, and code-switching intuitive, but I think super focused computer types are not representative... ;) ) There is scholarly work to back me up, but I can't think of any names to start with except Labov and Goffman -- they are completely brilliant mind fs if you bother to read them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Presentation_of_Self_in_Everyday_Life http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Presentation_of_Self_in_Eve... Re the UI -- spot on, but maybe that is a UI problem, not a UI boundary condition, and we could start researching cues for persona switching on the computer screen. Avatars are a first attempt, but not all that inspiring if you ask me.

joe_the_user 16y ago
I disagree with "There's a reflex for a person to think of themselves as using a single role" -- weirdly enough, humans are so hardwired to manage complex social situations that they can manage a few different personas intuitively, along with linguistic and bodily cues about who they are trying to be. I agree with your second statement but I'd invite you to consider that this actually supports my point. Human beings are naturally, unconsciously able switch personas so they tend not to be consciously aware of that switch. As you say, it's done by cues and reflex. And thing about the Internet is people don't notice what they're not noticing. Just as an example, Flame wars come specifically because people don't understand that their "compass" isn't there. The same problem is there with multiple roles. Yes all that good stuff you mention is happening. I am aware of it because I've studied a bit myself but the average person isn't aware of it even as they do it. There are two ideal goals: - create a UI that allows both sufficient cues to get allow people to activate their useful unconscious filtering process (and which manufacture some places and situations which assures a person they can safely let go of those filtering mechanisms). - Present this UI in a frame where the conscious mind can accept it. Saying "it let you sneak around behind your boss' back" might be true but it isn't something a person's "presentation of self to self" would be inclined to accept. Sometime the statement "The most brilliant advertisers in history have been those who've found a way to sell things to people 'they didn't know they needed'" can be true in a good way! The average person doesn't know they need multiple roles online so a new product needs to combine framing, education and UI really creatively.

joe_the_user 16y ago

I disagree with "There's a reflex for a person to think of themselves as using a single role" -- weirdly enough, humans are so hardwired to manage complex social situations that they can manage a few different personas intuitively, along with linguistic and bodily cues about who they are trying to be. I agree with your second statement but I'd invite you to consider that this actually supports my point. Human beings are naturally, unconsciously able switch personas so they tend not to be consciously aware of that switch. As you say, it's done by cues and reflex. And thing about the Internet is people don't notice what they're not noticing. Just as an example, Flame wars come specifically because people don't understand that their "compass" isn't there. The same problem is there with multiple roles. Yes all that good stuff you mention is happening. I am aware of it because I've studied a bit myself but the average person isn't aware of it even as they do it. There are two ideal goals: - create a UI that allows both sufficient cues to get allow people to activate their useful unconscious filtering process (and which manufacture some places and situations which assures a person they can safely let go of those filtering mechanisms). - Present this UI in a frame where the conscious mind can accept it. Saying "it let you sneak around behind your boss' back" might be true but it isn't something a person's "presentation of self to self" would be inclined to accept. Sometime the statement "The most brilliant advertisers in history have been those who've found a way to sell things to people 'they didn't know they needed'" can be true in a good way! The average person doesn't know they need multiple roles online so a new product needs to combine framing, education and UI really creatively.