The social psychology of digital photography: a process philosophy approach

This thesis addresses the nature of the image and its relationship to human perception and memory. Traditionally psychology approaches the relationship between the image and the human in a representationalist register, in which the world represents itself through images to the subjective observer. The thesis questions these assumptions about the representational relationship between the world, the mind and the image through a study of people using digital photographic technologies. It argues that digital images exist as a complex network of technology and activity that manage their incessant movement, production, consumption, convertibility, connectedness and fragility. The digital image exposes the complex nature of the image as more than a simple representation. If this is the case, then human involvement with images as networks occurs in terms of our inclusion in the network rather than as a subjective observer positioned outside of the world. Henri Bergson proposes that we see the image in terms of a distinction between time and space rather than as an intermediary between a subject and the object. The implications of this for the way in which we think about the interaction between people and technology and the nature of perception and memory are explored through some data examples from three settings. These are; amateur photographers using digital technology; families looking through their stocks of digital images and remembering past events together and finally, displays of family member's histories and identities on the internet

Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Intelligence Augmentation (IA): What is the future?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing technological phenomenon that all industries wish to exploit to benefit from efficiency gains and cost reductions. At the macrolevel, AI appears to be capable of replacing humans by undertaking intelligent tasks that were once limited to the human mind. However, another school of thought suggests that instead of being a replacement for the human mind, AI can be used for intelligence augmentation (IA). Accordingly, our research seeks to address these different views, their implications, and potential risks in an age of increased artificial awareness. We show that the ultimate goal of humankind is to achieve IA through the exploitation of AI. Moreover, we articulate the urgent need for ethical frameworks that define how AI should be used to trigger the next level of IA

Join me in Death: Managing Mortality Salience via Mediated Social Encounters

The synopsis of this cumulative dissertation reports the theoretical background, methodology and main results of five studies addressing the role of intergroup versus interpersonal similarities for mediated social encounters under conditions of mortality salience (MS). Drawing upon terror management theory (TMT, Greenberg, Pyszczynski, & Solomon, 1986) individuals were expected to prefer similar over dissimilar others under conditions of MS. In theory, similarity can take place on the intergroup level (i.e. by belonging to the same in-group) as well as on the interpersonal level (e.g., by holding the same attitudes). So far, the relative relevance of intergroup versus interpersonal similarity has not been studied systematically. Particularly in mediated social encounters, intergroup and interpersonal similarity can be independent from each other and might have different effects. The results of five studies in different contexts confirmed intergroup and interpersonal similarities to have different effects in mediated encounters under conditions of MS. In an online dating context, a similarity-attraction effect emerged only among in-group but not out-group members (Study 1), and intergroup but not interpersonal dissimilarity threatened the individuals’ defense against MS (Study 2). In a gaming context, individuals preferred an interpersonally similar in-group (versus out-group) avatar (Study 4) but showed no in-group bias when the avatar was interpersonally dissimilar (Study 3). Further, the valence of the in-group played a role under conditions of interpersonal dissimilarity (Study 3), but not under conditions of interpersonal similarity (Study 4). Finally, Study 5 found an increased interest in media content by in-group but not out-group members under conditions of MS even when the content (extremist propaganda) was negatively valenced and did not match the recipients’ political attitude. The results are discussed regarding their implications

Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Intelligence Augmentation (IA): What Is the Future?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing technological phenomenon that all industries wish to exploit to benefit from efficiency gains and cost reductions. At the macrolevel, AI appears to be capable of replacing humans by undertaking intelligent tasks that were once limited to the human mind. However, another school of thought suggests that instead of being a replacement for the human mind, AI can be used for intelligence augmentation (IA). Accordingly, our research seeks to address these different views, their implications, and potential risks in an age of increased artificial awareness. We show that the ultimate goal of humankind is to achieve IA through the exploitation of AI. Moreover, we articulate the urgent need for ethical frameworks that define how AI should be used to trigger the next level of I

Toward an Ecological Culture: Sustainability, Post-domination and Spirituality

This essay presents an overview of an emergent culture of ecological consciousness and sensitivity for nature within and without humans. The inquiry pertains to the interdisciplinary field of human ecology. The essential methodological approach is eco-systemic, implying the basic interrelatedness of entities and their environment. The essay explores the interconnections at various levels of human-ecological interaction, analyzed from the perspective of the basic components of an ecological culture: sustainability - as an economy of metabolic exchange with the environment and inclusion into natural cycles of renewal; post-domination - as human relations based on individuals\u27 responsibility for their social and natural environment, and on surpassing the authoritarian structures of subordination of humans and nature; and a spirituality of immanent ethic and sensitivity. Individual responsibility is the core of an ecological culture, and the basis of an ecological consciousness - an awareness of the ecological context of the individual\u27s life process - the impact which the ways of satisfying the individual\u27s needs have on the immediate, and also the wider social, biological and physical environment. Ecological culture involves the revitalization of the local community and the household as the levels of immediate human-ecological interactions. The lack of individual responsibility is both caused by and expressed in domination patterns. Domination is based on dualism. Its essential routines are inferiorization and exclusion of mutuality which entail a lack of empathy and harmony - thus hindering a positive relation to the social and natural environment. When domination structures are deconstructed, a possibility of a new integration emerges in the reconsidered sphere of spirituality, involving immanence (re-connection of spirituality and nature), and integrative epistemology (inclusion of other-than-rational modes of comprehension and communication). An essential epistemological component is a sensitivity which links life processes in and around us, thus enabling us to feel that we are part of natural renewal and energy exchange. Such a sensitivity is the basis for individual responsibility which is no longer a matter of reliance on external authority and imposed morality of prescribed rights and duties. Responsibility becomes an individual\u27s inner ethic of joy as an ultimate expression of livelines

The Reasonableness Machine

Automation might someday allow for the inexpensive creation of highly contextualized and effective laws. If that ever comes to pass, however, it will not be on a blank slate. Proponents will face the question of how to computerize bedrock aspects of our existing law, some of which are legal standards—norms that use evaluative, even moral, criteria. Conventional wisdom says that standards are difficult to translate into computer code because they do not present clear operational mechanisms to follow. If that wisdom holds, one could reasonably doubt that legal automation will ever get off the ground. Conventional wisdom, however, fails to account for the interpretive freedom that standards provide. Their murkiness makes them a fertile ground for the growth of competing explanations of their legal meaning. Some of those readings might be more rule-like than others. Proponents of automation will likely be drawn to those rule-like interpretations, so long as they are compatible enough with existing law. This complex dynamic between computer-friendliness and legal interpretation makes it troublesome for legislators to identify the variable and fixed costs of automation. This Article aims to shed light on this relationship by focusing our attention on a quintessential legal standard at the center of our legal system—the Reasonably Prudent Person Test. Here, I explain how automation proponents might be tempted by fringe, formulaic interpretations of the test, such as Averageness, because they bring comparatively low innovation costs. With time, however, technological advancement will likely drive down innovation costs, and mainstream interpretations, like Conventionalism, could find favor again. Regardless of the interpretation that proponents favor, though, an unavoidable fixed cost looms: by replacing the jurors who apply the test with a machine, they will eliminate a long-valued avenue for participatory and deliberative democracy

A framework to support automation in manufacturing through the study of process variability

In manufacturing, automation has replaced many dangerous, mundane, arduous and routine manual operations, for example, transportation of heavy parts, stamping of large parts, repetitive welding and bolt fastening. However, skilled operators still carry out critical manual processes in various industries such as aerospace, automotive and heavy-machinery. As automation technology progresses through more flexible and intelligent systems, the potential for these processes to be automated increases. However, the decision to undertake automation is a complex one, involving consideration of many factors such as return of investment, health and safety, life cycle impact, competitive advantage, and resources and technology availability. A key challenge to manufacturing automation is the ability to adapt to process variability. In manufacturing processes, human operators apply their skills to adapt to variability, in order to meet the product and process specifications or requirements. This thesis is focussed on understanding the ‎variability involved in these manual processes, and how it may influence the automation solution. ‎ Two manual industrial processes in polishing and de-burring of high-value components were observed to evaluate the extent of the variability and how the operators applied their skills to overcome it. Based on the findings from the literature and process studies, a framework was developed to categorise variability in manual manufacturing processes and to suggest a level of automation for the tasks in the processes, based on scores and weights given to the parameters by the user. The novelty of this research lies in the creation of a framework to categorise and evaluate process variability, suggesting an appropriate level of automation. The framework uses five attributes of processes; inputs, outputs, strategy, time and requirements and twelve parameters (quantity, range or interval of variability, interdependency, diversification, number of alternatives, number of actions, patterned actions, concurrency, time restriction, sensorial domain, cognitive requisite and physical requisites) to evaluate variability inherent in the process. The level of automation suggested is obtained through a system of scores and weights for each parameter. The weights were calculated using Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) with the help of three experts in manufacturing processes. Finally, this framework was validated through its application to two processes consisting of a lab-based peg-in-a-hole manual process and an industrial process on welding. In addition, the framework was further applied to three processes (two industrial processes and one process simulated in the laboratory) by two subjects for each process to verify the consistency of the results obtained. The results suggest that the framework is robust when applied by different subjects, presenting high similarity in outputs. Moreover, the framework was found to be effective when characterising variability present in the processes where it was applied. The framework was developed and tested in manufacturing of high value components, with high potential to be applied to processes in other industries, for instance, automotive, heavy machinery, pharmaceutical or electronic components, although this would need further investigation. Thus, future work would include the application of the framework in processes in other industries, hence enhancing its robustness and widening its scope of applicability. Additionally, a database would be created to assess the correlation between process variability and the level of automation