5 ms·
Anthropomorphising isn't a new thing only made possible by life-like voices. People have done it to everything, from the weather to the well. Ever sworn at a (m
by hyp0 13y ago
Anthropomorphising isn't a new thing only made possible by life-like voices. People have done it to everything, from the weather to the well. Ever sworn at a (mechanical) machine?
As for slave-like almost-people... what of pets? Dogs and cats and horses and parrots are certainly alive, interactive and exhibit recognizable feelings. Although people don't grant them property rights, enfranchisement - and even have them put down - does that coarsen pet owners? I don't know. Maybe it does.
- andrey-p 13y agoSince we're specifically talking about kids here - what about stuffed animals and other toys? I owned a tamagotchi [1] back when I was a kid and they were all the rage. I was disappointed whenever it died, as it inevitably did, but I never thought of it as alive. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamagotchi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamagotchi
- wslh 13y agoDid you bury your tamagotchi at the end? Seriously, there are very interesting uses of Siri for toddlers. They can search for images and videos on Internet even not knowing how to read and write.
- eddieroger 13y agoMy neighbor actually had a funeral for his Tamagotchi (plural, I assume it's the same) before going to summer camp. I don't think that did anything good or bad to him, it just happened. But on topic, I really don't think Siri is doing any kind of special harm to kids, and as always in situations like these, it's really on the parents to meter the use of potentially harmful things by kids. Siri is just a tool, just like Grand Theft Auto is just a game, and not all things are meant for everyone.
- bhousel 13y agoMy 2 year old has learned to do this. It can be pretty amusing at times. Recently I overheard her tell Siri "I want to see pictures of Pooh, not pictures of poop".
- andrey-p 13y agoA harsh but useful lesson in dealing with technology, I guess.
- netcan 13y agoYou should certainly stop your child from mistreating their pets. It's part of teaching them to be moral. Don't hit the dog because it will make him sad. You don't throw the toy truck because it will break and then you wan't have it. Yelling at the toy truck.. I'm not sure. It doesn't strike me as too bad an act. Insulting Siri is a curious question. The child is not anthropomorphizing Siri, It comes out of the box anthropomorphized. Interesting questions.
- bdunbar 13y ago"does that coarsen pet owners? I don't know. Maybe it does" Perhaps I've been coarsened. Having the grit to do the right thing by one's dog is part of being an adult.