Entry #7

What will the use of this technology encourage me to notice?

This question from “Do Artifacts Have Ethics?” spoke the most to me in relation to my third Hack. Taking a deeper dive into Google Docs made me realize the affordances are all geared toward academia and business. Opening my anonymous confession document feels weird. Most people have never used Google Docs as a personal or collaborative helpline in any regard to emotional content. It forces the individuals interacting with it to question a piece of software they regularly interact with. When taken out of context, it requires reflection on the specificity upon which it was created. I have never thought about how Google Docs encourage interaction in solely one subject or area of productivity. Beyond Docs, it made me question the accessibility that work-related applications have that personal-focused software lacks. Because of technological innovations, we are never separated from email or modes of work, yet we have not gotten there in terms of using technology to help increase access to personal growth applications. I think this speaks volumes to the importance we place on success in school and work. It is still taboo to consider mental health as important as physical health, and I believe that is the reason there is little to no software created geared towards this subject. The Google Suite has everything an individual could need to succeed in their job, yet it discourages this one important aspect because of the way it was created.