SXSWORLD

Interactive Keynotes Explore Technology's Impact on Human Condition by Beckley Mason from gaming and web applications, to how new technology will change our lives in the future. Th e fi ve-day event provides a rare opportunity to learn about individual trends, theories and technologies, all in a one place. But while discussions during SXSW often focus on the specifi c items in the interactive realm, this year's exciting keynote speakers step back to question how technology has changed our very sense of humanity and our destiny on this planet. As a lauded anthropologist focused on S XSW Interactive always features exciting new technological experiences and discussions on topics ranging new communication and computational resources are, the real shift is in how humans access information. "Th ere's this thing that when we evolved, we evolved stomachs that tell us we're full," explains Case. "But online, we don't have that limit that tells our brain that it's full of information." Th e brain becomes an engine for consumption rather than contemplation. "It's very easy to create, but it's even easier to consume. I worry about people consuming and consuming and not learning the joy of creating." Yet Case is far from a Luddite; indeed, she sees instant communication and computational technology as a vast source of empowerment when used productively. Th e Internet is amoral, and how individuals how humans interact with cutting-edge technologies, Amber Case has a special ability to explain the ways in which futur- istic ideas such as wormholes, virtual reality and cyborg life have become so much a part of our everyday life that they escape notice. According to Case, the big change is in the way that humans use tools. In the past, every tool – take a hammer, for instance – was used to extend the abilities of our physical selves. But today we use cell phones that store our entire social network and computers that house data outside of our brains as "exten- sions of the mental self." Th is, she says, makes everyone who carries a smart phone to enhance their mental capacity a living, breathing cyborg. Case argues that as revolutionary as these 18 Jen Pahlka Ray Kurzweil that connect the way we use technology today with the preceding 100 years of human experience. Facebook is our virtual front lawn – keep those nasty kids off your wall! Her scientifi c focus is on codifying this new existence with terms that reach back and look forward to explain the direction of humanity. "Th ings are changing so rapidly, and the language isn't really there to handle what will happen in the future," says Case. So in order to get a linguistic and scientifi c handle on interactive life, she has written a new book, A Dictionary of Cyborg Anthropology: A fi eld guide to interface culture, that defi nes new terms for the many new ways humans interact with and impact both each other and the vir- tual world. She focuses on "Superhumans" who can leap tall stacks of data in a single bound and travel much, much faster than a speeding bullet to access people and informa- tion from anywhere at any time. Th is rate of change has dramatic impli- cations for the way institutions like government, which was designed to move slowly, will function in the future. Private companies that can use (and sell) data more quickly and effi ciently than less agile government institutions are increasingly handling roles that the government previ- ously dominated. choose to interact with it determines its ultimate value. Her theories are stocked full of metaphors background, Jennifer Pahlka wants the gov- ernment to be smarter and more tech-savvy. She is the founder of Code for America, a non-profi t organization that uses the Teach for America and Peace Corps fellowship models to match sharp coders and program- mers with city governments across America. Th e mission is to make city governments smarter and to encourage the tech world, a traditionally apolitical realm, to be more engaged in the decisions of these inherited institutions that still shape our world. Th e Stop Online Piracy Act Internet reg- Like most people with an intense tech Amber Case SXSW ORLD / FEBRUAR Y 2012 ulation (or censorship, depending on your perspective) discussion on Capitol Hill KRIS KRUG HELENE DELILLO PHOTO COURTESY OF CODE FOR AMERICA

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