Comment by aeonfox
2 months ago
> Technology is augmenting real world experiences all the time
As the sibling comment says, I never made a claim that technology writ large wasn't augmenting real world experiences. I did make reference to 'the technology', which if it helps to clarify could be read as 'a specific X technology'. A technology could be as broad as 'software', but it could mean a software innovation like 'infinite scroll with status updates'. How a technology is used can also factor in. iNaturalist, MeetUp, and hospitality club style websites are all social networks that encourage people to go out into the world and experience things. Even Facebook groups and marketplace can facilitate this to some degree, though real-world human connection is counter to its revenue strategy.
> and not always in positive ways.
Augmenting means to add to something, not take away. The word for that is detract.
yeah, I think I misunderstood the point you were making and I'm making a different but related point. So we probably don't disagree.
Interesting point on the word augment. I'd always took it to mean something more like a value-neutral addition, to which one is free to apply their own value judgements, which could be positive or negative and in any case aren't objective.
To take an example of the kind of thing I'm thinking of: you're out on a peaceful countryside walk yet are able to receive emails. The experience is augmented by this-- in my interpretation meaning you have something literally added to it. But the effect of this can be both positive or negative, to any degree, depending on the email itself and any number of other factors.
Anyway I think we're mostly just getting into semantics and I probably agree actually with your original point :-)