In the Bubble • John Thackara • 2005
On the Value of Tempo
In Short
Healthier experiences with technology put the pace of fast or slow under our control, rather than assuming that faster is better.
In Depth
Speaking on the pace of our experiences, Thackara notes what many others have as well: technology seems to be moving our lives faster and faster.
The growth of networked communications has accelerated the emergence of an always-on, 24/7 society whose premise is that if anything can happen anytime, it should happen now. (p.36)
High speed is not always a bad thing (for example, who would really ask for a slower computer?), but Thackara sees a problem, particularly for our mental and social well-being, when acceleration is assumed to be the goal in all things and the pace of life is put out of our control. He suggests that interaction designers need to consider how technology experiences can put the pace of life under the control of people.
The design challenge is not to slow everything down, but to enable situations that support an infinite variety of fast and slow moves—at a rhythm dictated by us, not by the system. (p.44)
There has been increased interest in movements to slow our lives (“slow food,” for example). But Thackara argues that it’s more a matter of balanced tempo. Technology can be used to empower us to choose moments of fast or slow, rather than expecting us to move at the pace of the machine.