Calm Technology is technology that you do not notice. A addition to human life which you only notice when it’s not there. The most obvious example is the iphone. No manual. The genius of its invention 
was its focus on the user experience. Sounds obvious but science is traditionally focused on the task not the user. Perhaps we could see the UK infrastructure as calm technology: like electricity and water.
Video conferencing is not a calm technology. Sitting in front of the screen with other users staring at you. Divorced from their reality and they from yours. It lacks a spontaniety of incidental conversations and corridor chat. Users not able to zone out or look away from the group without appearing to be not concentrating or bored.
Video conferencing doesn’t encourage human entanglements. Entanglements that can create despair, happiness, anxiety and influence. The technology has a way to go to create a seamless reality which we will not notice. It’s called technology when you have to read the manual. The IT crowd call it RTFM (read the f**king manual).
Perhaps the IT wizards might have the goal to make RTFM redundant.
Copyright Adrian Scott
North London Counsellor Blog 2020
All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer: This weblog is the view of the writer and for general information only
This article is designed to provoke argment and critique