ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Amber Case - Cyborg Anthropologist
Amber Case studies the symbiotic interactions between humans and machines -- and considers how our values and culture are being shaped by living lives increasingly mediated by high technology.

Why you should listen

Amber Case is a cyborg anthropologist, examining the way humans and technology interact and evolve together. Like all anthropologists, Case watches people, but her fieldwork involves observing how they participate in digital networks, analyzing the various ways we project our personalities, communicate, work, play, share ideas and even form values. Case founded Geoloqi.com, a private location-sharing application, out of a frustration with existing social protocols around text messaging and wayfinding.

Case, who predicts that intensification of the human-technology interface will quickly reduce the distance between individual and community, believes that the convergence of technologies will bring about unprecedented rapid learning and communication. Dubbed a digital philosopher, Case applies her findings to such fields as information architecture, usability and online productivity. She’s currently working on a book about using anthropological techniques to understand industry ecosystems.

More profile about the speaker
Amber Case | Speaker | TED.com
TEDWomen 2010

Amber Case: We are all cyborgs now

安柏凱斯:我們都是賽博格(機器生化物)

Filmed:
1,853,478 views

安柏凱斯說,科技使我們進化, 使我們都變成了眼盯著螢幕、手敲著鍵盤的新人類。我們現在都依賴著“外接的大腦”(例如,手機和電腦)來和其他人聯係、記憶、甚至經營第二個自己。但,這些機器終究會征服我們還是連接我們?凱斯告訴我們前所未見的自己的另一半(機器生化人)。
- Cyborg Anthropologist
Amber Case studies the symbiotic interactions between humans and machines -- and considers how our values and culture are being shaped by living lives increasingly mediated by high technology. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:15
I would like to tell you all
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我要告訴你們
00:17
that you are all actually其實 cyborgs半機器人,
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大家都是賽博格(機器化生人)
00:21
but not the cyborgs半機器人 that you think.
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但不是你們想的那種賽博格。
00:23
You're not RoboCop機械戰警, and you're not Terminator終結者,
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你不是機器戰警,也不是魔鬼終結者
00:26
but you're cyborgs半機器人 every一切 time you look at a computer電腦 screen屏幕
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但是每一次你看電腦螢幕
00:28
or use one of your cell細胞 phone電話 devices設備.
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或使用手機時你就變成一個機器生化人。
00:31
So what's a good definition定義 for cyborg半機械人?
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所以“賽博格(機器生化人)”該怎麽定義?
00:33
Well, traditional傳統 definition定義 is "an organism生物
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傳統的定義是說
00:35
to which哪一個 exogenous外源性 components組件 have been added添加
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“被加上外來元件
00:37
for the purpose目的 of adapting適應 to new environments環境."
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以便能適應新環境的生物組織。”
00:39
That came來了 from a 1960 paper on space空間 travel旅行,
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這是1960年一篇有關太空旅行的文章所定義的。
00:42
because, if you think about it, space空間 is pretty漂亮 awkward尷尬.
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因爲,認真想想,太空是很可怕的,
00:44
People aren't supposed應該 to be there.
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人們不太會去那裏;
00:46
But humans人類 are curious好奇, and they like to add things to their bodies身體
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但人們好奇心又強,喜歡在身體上加掛東西
00:49
so they can go to the Alps阿爾卑斯山 one day
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這樣一來可以爬上阿爾卑斯山
00:51
and then become成為 a fish in the sea the next下一個.
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又可以下海游。
00:53
So let's look at the concept概念 of traditional傳統 anthropology人類學.
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讓我們看看傳統人類學的概念
00:56
Somebody goes to another另一個 country國家,
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有個人到了其他的國家,他說
00:58
says, "How fascinating迷人 these people are, how interesting有趣 their tools工具 are,
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“這些人真有趣,用的工具也很有意思,
01:01
how curious好奇 their culture文化 is."
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他們的文化真特別!”
01:03
And then they write a paper, and maybe a few少數 other anthropologists人類學家 read it,
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所以他們把這些見聞寫下來,可能其他人類學家會讀
01:06
and we think it's very exotic異國情調.
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我們讀了也會覺得很新奇。
01:08
Well, what's happening事件
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這是爲什麽?
01:11
is that we've我們已經 suddenly突然 found發現 a new species種類.
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因爲我們突然發現了一個新品種。
01:14
I, as a cyborg半機械人 anthropologist人類學家, have suddenly突然 said,
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而我,身為會說機器生化物學家會說
01:16
"Oh, wow. Now suddenly突然 we're a new form形成 of Homo智人 sapiens智人,
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“哇,突然間我們變成了新品種人類
01:19
and look at these fascinating迷人 cultures文化,
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你看看這些超炫的文化
01:21
and look at these curious好奇 rituals儀式
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看,這些奇特的儀式
01:23
that everybody's每個人的 doing around this technology技術.
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每個人都在使用這樣科技
01:25
They're clicking點擊 on things and staring凝視 at screens屏幕."
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他們都在觸碰和注視著螢幕。”
01:28
Now there's a reason原因 why I study研究 this,
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爲什麽我要來研究這種新的人類學
01:30
versus traditional傳統 anthropology人類學.
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是有原因的。
01:32
And the reason原因 is that tool工具 use,
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這是因爲,從一開始
01:34
in the beginning開始 -- for thousands數千 and thousands數千 of years年份,
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在過去的幾千年來,工具的使用
01:37
everything has been a physical物理 modification修改 of self.
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一向是人類自身肢體的改造
01:40
It has helped幫助 us to extend延伸 our physical物理 selves自我,
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工具幫我們超越自身肢體的極限
01:42
go faster更快, hit擊中 things harder更難,
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讓我們跑得更快、更有力
01:44
and there's been a limit限制 on that.
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而工具最終也是有其極限的。
01:46
But now what we're looking at is not an extension延期 of the physical物理 self,
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現在我們研究的不是自身肢體的延伸
01:49
but an extension延期 of the mental心理 self,
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而是心理的延伸
01:51
and because of that, we're able能夠 to travel旅行 faster更快,
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而正因如此,我們能更快地移動
01:53
communicate通信 differently不同.
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用不同的方式溝通。
01:55
And the other thing that happens發生
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還有一件跟以前不一樣的是
01:57
is that we're all carrying攜帶 around little Mary瑪麗 Poppins滿人間 technology技術.
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那就是我們都攜帶著魔法的科技
02:00
We can put anything we want into it, and it doesn't get heavier較重,
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我們可以把想帶的東西加進來卻不會增加重量
02:03
and then we can take anything out.
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我們還可以把所有的東西都拿出來。
02:05
What does the inside of your computer電腦 actually其實 look like?
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你的電腦裏面長什麽樣子?
02:07
Well, if you print打印 it out, it looks容貌 like a thousand pounds英鎊 of material材料
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你如果把所有的東西列印出來的話
02:10
that you're carrying攜帶 around all the time.
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你帶著到處跑的東西總共大概有幾千磅重。
02:12
And if you actually其實 lose失去 that information信息,
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這些資訊,你要是遺失了的話
02:15
it means手段 that you suddenly突然 have this loss失利 in your mind心神,
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這表示你的心理上遭到這些損失,
02:18
that you suddenly突然 feel like something's什麼是 missing失踪,
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你突然覺得有些東西不見了
02:21
except you aren't able能夠 to see it, so it feels感覺 like a very strange奇怪 emotion情感.
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但是你卻看不見,這是很奇怪的感覺。
02:24
The other thing that happens發生 is that you have a second第二 self.
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還有一個新的現象:你有了第二個你
02:27
Whether是否 you like it or not, you're starting開始 to show顯示 up online線上,
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不管你喜不喜歡,你開始在綫上出現
02:29
and people are interacting互動 with your second第二 self
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其他人會和綫上的第二個你互動
02:31
when you're not there.
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即使你不在場。
02:33
And so you have to be careful小心
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所以你必須很小心
02:35
about leaving離開 your front面前 lawn草坪 open打開,
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防衛你的第一道防綫
02:37
which哪一個 is basically基本上 your FacebookFacebook的 wall,
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基本上也就是臉書的塗鴉墻
02:39
so that people don't write on it in the middle中間 of the night --
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要提防別人不會在半夜
02:41
because it's very much the equivalent當量.
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你不知道的時候來留言。
02:43
And suddenly突然 we have to start開始 to maintain保持 our second第二 self.
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突然間我們也要維護這個第二個自己。
02:46
You have to present當下 yourself你自己 in digital數字 life
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你在數位世界裏也要跟別人介紹這個“你”
02:48
in a similar類似 way that you would in your analog類似物 life.
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跟真實世界裏一樣。
02:51
So, in the same相同 way that you wake喚醒 up, take a shower淋浴 and get dressed連衣裙的,
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就像一早你起床、洗澡、更衣
02:54
you have to learn學習 to do that for your digital數字 self.
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你也要學著為數位的你做這些事
02:56
And the problem問題 is that a lot of people now,
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問題在於,現在有很多人
02:58
especially特別 adolescents青少年,
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特別是青少年
03:00
have to go through通過 two adolescencesadolescences.
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要經歷兩次青春期。
03:02
They have to go through通過 their primary one, that's already已經 awkward尷尬,
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現實生活的這一次已經夠糟了
03:05
and then they go through通過 their second第二 self's自我的 adolescence青春期,
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他們還要經歷第二個自己的青春期
03:07
and that's even more awkward尷尬
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這更是可怕
03:09
because there's an actual實際 history歷史
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因爲他們經歷過的一切
03:12
of what they've他們已經 gone走了 through通過 online線上.
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都被記錄在網路上。
03:14
And anybody任何人 coming未來 in new to technology技術
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此外,剛接觸新科技的人
03:16
is an adolescent青少年 online線上 right now,
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在網路上都算青春期少年
03:18
and so it's very awkward尷尬,
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所以這是很可怕的
03:20
and it's very difficult for them to do those things.
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對他們而言這些都是很難的。
03:23
So when I was little, my dad would sit me down at night and he would say,
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當我小的時候,一晚我爸跑來我旁邊坐跟我說
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"I'm going to teach you about time and space空間 in the future未來."
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“我要教教你未來的時間和空間的概念。”
03:27
And I said, "Great."
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我說,“好啊”
03:29
And he said one day, "What's the shortest最短 distance距離 between之間 two points?"
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他說,“空間裏兩點最近的距離是什麽?”
03:31
And I said, "Well, that's a straight直行 line. You told me that yesterday昨天."
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我說,“你昨天說是一直綫。”
03:34
I thought I was very clever聰明.
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我還以爲我很聰明
03:36
He said, "No, no, no. Here's這裡的 a better way."
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他說,”不不,這有個更好的答案“
03:39
He took a piece of paper,
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他拿起一張紙
03:41
drew德魯 A and B on one side and the other
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在上面畫了A、B兩點
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and folded折疊 them together一起 so where A and B touched感動.
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把紙對折使AB兩點相觸
03:46
And he said, "That is the shortest最短 distance距離 between之間 two points."
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他告訴我,”這纔是兩點間最短的距離。“
03:49
And I said, "Dad, dad, dad, how do you do that?"
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我說,”爸,你是怎麽辦到的?“
03:51
He said, "Well, you just bend彎曲 time and space空間,
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他說,”你必須扭轉時間和空間
03:53
it takes an awful可怕 lot of energy能源,
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這需要花很多能量的
03:55
and that's just how you do it."
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只有這樣才能辦到。”
03:57
And I said, "I want to do that."
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我說,“我也想那樣做。”
03:59
And he said, "Well, okay."
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他說,“好哇。”
04:01
And so, when I went to sleep睡覺 for the next下一個 10 or 20 years年份,
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就這樣,接下來的10年20年間
04:04
I was thinking思維 at night,
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晚上在床上我常在想
04:06
"I want to be the first person to create創建 a wormhole蟲洞,
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“我要成爲第一個發明時光隧道的人
04:08
to make things accelerate加速 faster更快.
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我要加速事件的發生
04:10
And I want to make a time machine."
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我還要做一台時光機。”
04:12
I was always sending發出 messages消息 to my future未來 self
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我一直用錄音機
04:14
using運用 tape膠帶 recorders錄像機.
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給未來的我送訊息。
04:19
But then what I realized實現 when I went to college學院
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但是後來上了大學後我才了解
04:21
is that technology技術 doesn't just get adopted採用
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科技不會只是因爲有用
04:23
because it works作品.
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就會被人採用;
04:25
It gets得到 adopted採用 because people use it
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一項科技之所以會被人們採用
04:27
and it's made製作 for humans人類.
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是因爲有人用,是因爲那是順應人性的設計。
04:29
So I started開始 studying研究 anthropology人類學.
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所以我開始讀人類學。
04:31
And when I was writing寫作 my thesis論文 on cell細胞 phones手機,
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當我在寫有關手機的論文時
04:33
I realized實現 that everyone大家 was carrying攜帶 around wormholes蟲洞 in their pockets口袋.
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我領悟到了,每個人口袋裏的手機就是時空隧道
04:36
They weren't physically物理 transporting傳輸 themselves他們自己;
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穿越時空的不是我們的身體
04:38
they were mentally精神上 transporting傳輸 themselves他們自己.
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而是我們的心理
04:40
They would click點擊 on a button按鍵,
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你按個按鍵
04:42
and they would be connected連接的 as A to B immediately立即.
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就能聯繫AB兩點
04:45
And I thought, "Oh, wow. I found發現 it. This is great."
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我想,“我找到了,太棒了。”
04:47
So over time, time and space空間
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所以,漸漸地,因爲有了手機
04:49
have compressed壓縮 because of this.
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時間和空間都越來越緊密
04:51
You can stand on one side of the world世界,
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你可以在世界的一端耳語
04:53
whisper耳語 something and be heard聽說 on the other.
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在另一端的人也都還聼得見。
04:55
One of the other ideas思路 that comes around
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另一個延伸的概念就是
04:57
is that you have a different不同 type類型 of time on every一切 single device設備 that you use.
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事實上每個我們使用的每個裝置都是一種時間
05:00
Every一切 single browser瀏覽器 tab標籤 gives you a different不同 type類型 of time.
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每個瀏覽螢幕可以代表不同的時間軸
05:03
And because of that, you start開始 to dig around
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也因爲如此,我們開始要在這些外接記憶體裏搜尋
05:05
for your external外部 memories回憶 -- where did you leave離開 them?
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到底我要找的東西是存放在哪裏了呢?
05:07
So now we're all these paleontologists古生物學家
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所以我們每個人都變成了古生物學家
05:09
that are digging挖掘 for things that we've我們已經 lost丟失
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我們都在我們放在口袋裏的外接大腦(硬碟、記憶裝置)裏
05:11
on our external外部 brains大腦 that we're carrying攜帶 around in our pockets口袋.
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試圖去挖掘出我們遺忘的事。
05:14
And that incites煽動 a sort分類 of panic恐慌 architecture建築 --
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這是基本上是會引人恐慌的
05:16
"Oh no, where's哪裡 this thing?"
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吼,東西是存到哪裏去了?!
05:18
We're all "I Love Lucy露西" on a great assembly部件 line of information信息,
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我們都變成了面對資訊洪流的小主婦
05:21
and we can't keep up.
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無法跟上其腳步。
05:24
And so what happens發生 is,
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當這一部分反映到社群交際面
05:26
when we bring帶來 all that into the social社會 space空間,
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導致的結果就是
05:28
we end結束 up checking檢查 our phones手機 all the time.
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我們會不斷地查閲我們的手機。
05:30
So we have this thing called ambient周圍 intimacy親密關係.
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所以有了一種叫“身歷其境的親密”
05:32
It's not that we're always connected連接的 to everybody每個人,
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我們並沒有跟所有的親朋好友實體地泡在一起
05:34
but at anytime任何時候 we can connect to anyone任何人 we want.
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但是要的話我們隨時可以和他們通話。
05:37
And if you were able能夠 to print打印 out everybody每個人 in your cell細胞 phone電話,
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要是你能把你手機裏聯絡人的清單列印出來
05:39
the room房間 would be very crowded.
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那你的房間會擠斃了
05:41
These are the people that you have access訪問 to right now, in general一般 --
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這些人,這些親朋好友
05:44
all of these people, all of your friends朋友 and family家庭 that you can connect to.
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基本上都是你立即可以接觸聯絡的人。
05:47
And so there are some psychological心理 effects效果 that happen發生 with this.
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這種精神上的距離很近也帶來了一些心理影響
05:50
One I'm really worried擔心 about
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第一個,也是讓我擔心的
05:52
is that people aren't taking服用 time for mental心理 reflection反射 anymore,
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那就是,大家不再花時間停下來去思考
05:55
and that they aren't slowing減緩 down and stopping停止,
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大家慢不下來也停不下來
05:57
being存在 around all those people in the room房間 all the time
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因爲一直跟這麽多的人同處一室
05:59
that are trying to compete競爭 for their attention注意
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大家變得要在平行的多個時間界面,
06:01
on the simultaneous同時 time interfaces接口,
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在考古人類學和有恐慌傾向的架構下
06:03
paleontology古生物學 and panic恐慌 architecture建築.
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要相互競爭吸引最多的注意力。
06:05
They're not just sitting坐在 there.
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他們不是只坐在那裏而已。
06:07
And really, when you have no external外部 input輸入,
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當你沒有外界的輸入的空閒時候
06:10
that is a time when there is a creation創建 of self,
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你可以用來創造自己
06:12
when you can do long-term長期 planning規劃,
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用來作長期規劃
06:14
when you can try and figure數字 out who you really are.
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也是試著了解你自己的時候。
06:17
And then, once一旦 you do that, you can figure數字 out
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你必須要有時間去思考,你才知道
06:19
how to present當下 your second第二 self in a legitimate合法 way,
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要如何正確地在網路上介紹這個“第二個你”
06:21
instead代替 of just dealing交易 with everything as it comes in --
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而不是被動地被外來的需求拖著走
06:23
and oh, I have to do this, and I have to do this, and I have to do this.
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噢,我該做這,我該做那,還有這個那個、、、
06:26
And so this is very important重要.
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所以,這是很重要的。
06:28
I'm really worried擔心 that, especially特別 kids孩子 today今天,
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我很擔心,特別是現在的青少年
06:30
they're not going to be dealing交易 with this down-time停機時間,
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他們現在沒有所謂的休息時間
06:33
that they have an instantaneous瞬間 button-clicking按鈕點擊 culture文化,
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他們又有這種手不離機的文化
06:35
and that everything comes to them,
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一有任何動靜或訊息
06:37
and that they become成為 very excited興奮 about it and very addicted上癮 to it.
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他們就變得很興奮,又很容易對此上癮。
06:40
So if you think about it, the world世界 hasn't有沒有 stopped停止 either.
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如果你想到這點,這世界並未就此停止。
06:43
It has its own擁有 external外部 prosthetic假肢 devices設備,
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現在多了好幾個外接的裝置
06:45
and these devices設備 are helping幫助 us all
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這些外接的裝置幫助我們
06:47
to communicate通信 and interact相互作用 with each other.
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跟其他人聯絡和互動。
06:49
But when you actually其實 visualize想像 it,
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你要是實際去show出
06:51
all the connections連接 that we're doing right now --
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我們現在所有的連係
06:53
this is an image圖片 of the mapping製圖 of the Internet互聯網 --
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這事實上是網際網路的一個映像
06:56
it doesn't look technological技術性.
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這看起來不太像冷冰冰的科技
06:58
It actually其實 looks容貌 very organic有機.
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倒比較像有機的組織。
07:00
This is the first time in the entire整個 history歷史 of humanity人性
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我們透過這樣的方式來聯係
07:03
that we've我們已經 connected連接的 in this way.
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這在人類的歷史上還是第一次。
07:06
And it's not that machines are taking服用 over.
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並不是機器接管了我們之間的聯係
07:09
It's that they're helping幫助 us to be more human人的,
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而是機器幫助我們更加人性化
07:11
helping幫助 us to connect with each other.
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幫助我們互相聯係。
07:13
The most successful成功 technology技術 gets得到 out of the way
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最成功的科技是優秀又顯著易見的
07:16
and helps幫助 us live生活 our lives生活.
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可以幫我們活得更便利。
07:18
And really,
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真的
07:20
it ends結束 up being存在 more human人的 than technology技術,
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科技最終變得更人性化
07:23
because we're co-creating共同創造 each other all the time.
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因爲我們和科技互相創造對方
07:25
And so this is the important重要 point that I like to study研究:
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這也就是我想研究的重點:
07:28
that things are beautiful美麗, that it's still a human人的 connection連接 --
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事物都是美好的,終究還是人性的連接;
07:31
it's just doneDONE in a different不同 way.
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只是連接的方法不同罷了。
07:33
We're just increasing增加 our humanness為人
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我們只是在人性化上更進一步
07:35
and our ability能力 to connect with each other, regardless而不管 of geography地理.
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與彼此的聯係更爲緊密,而無視地理上的區隔。
07:38
So that's why I study研究 cyborg半機械人 anthropology人類學.
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這就是爲什麽我要研究機器生化物人類學。
07:40
Thank you.
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謝謝大家
07:42
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
Translated by Wang-Ju Tsai
Reviewed by Shelley Krishna R. TSANG

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Amber Case - Cyborg Anthropologist
Amber Case studies the symbiotic interactions between humans and machines -- and considers how our values and culture are being shaped by living lives increasingly mediated by high technology.

Why you should listen

Amber Case is a cyborg anthropologist, examining the way humans and technology interact and evolve together. Like all anthropologists, Case watches people, but her fieldwork involves observing how they participate in digital networks, analyzing the various ways we project our personalities, communicate, work, play, share ideas and even form values. Case founded Geoloqi.com, a private location-sharing application, out of a frustration with existing social protocols around text messaging and wayfinding.

Case, who predicts that intensification of the human-technology interface will quickly reduce the distance between individual and community, believes that the convergence of technologies will bring about unprecedented rapid learning and communication. Dubbed a digital philosopher, Case applies her findings to such fields as information architecture, usability and online productivity. She’s currently working on a book about using anthropological techniques to understand industry ecosystems.

More profile about the speaker
Amber Case | Speaker | TED.com