New Media Narratives 2014: Week 10: Technobiophilia Guest Lecture from Professor Sue Thomas

Monday 10 March 2014

Week 10: Technobiophilia Guest Lecture from Professor Sue Thomas

Thank you so much to Professor Sue Thomas for the guest lecture this week. As usual, please respond with any comments, questions and answers to Sue's questions, in the comments' section below.

Technobiophilia: theory and practice
Dr Sue Thomas, www.suethomas.net, @suethomas
New Media Narratives 2014, University of Alberta, 10 March 2014

I’ve decided to present this material as a series of videos and weblinks along with questions for you to choose from and respond to in the comments section. It’s something of an experiment, so I hope it works! I look forward to discussing it with you online this week.

1. Watch the trailer for Biophilic Design: The Architecture of Life http://vimeo.com/27874539

Biophilic Design: The Architecture of Life (Trailer) from Tamarack Media on Vimeo.

Question: Have you encountered an example of biophilic design in your own surroundings? If so, please describe it and any beneficial effect you experienced.

2. Watch this advertisement for Meetup.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhpf-CcPy-s

Question: Does the kind of life shown here resemble your own life or that of anyone you know? What are the features of this kind of life?

3. Read this discussion Does Technology destroy our relationship with Nature? http://www.ted.com/conversations/18068/does_technology_destroy_our_re.html

Question: What do you think are the most important points made in the discussion?

4. In this article I outline my theory of technobiophilia and digital well-being. But the magazine editors gave it a title which is not what I was saying: We surf the net, stream our films and save stuff in the cloud. Can we get all the nature we need from the digital world? http://aeon.co/magazine/nature-and-cosmos/can-we-get-all-the-nature-we-need-from-the-digital-world/

Question: Contrary to the article title, I don’t believe that we can get all the nature we need from the digital world. Do you? Why? Why not?

5. Watch this trailer for Flower, by ThatGameCompany. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJam5Auwj1E#t=34

Question: Do you think playing games like this can provide similar feelings to being out in nature?

6. At Medium I’m creating a collection of suggestions for ways to bring nature in our digital world. https://medium.com/how-to-bring-nature-into-your-digital-world You can also find it on my blog http://suethomasnet.wordpress.com/category/how-to-bring-nature-into-your-digital-world/

Question: If you have a Medium account, feel free to write an article and submit it to the collection for consideration. Or maybe you’d just like to add a suggestion to the blog?

Other materials which may be of interest

· Technobiophilia website including articles, videos and bibliography: http://suethomasnet.wordpress.com/technobiophilia/

·
My blog http://suethomasnet.wordpress.com/blog/

31 comments:

Sue Thomas10 March 2014 at 02:34
Hi everyone! I hope you enjoy these videos and links and look forward to talking with you. Incidentally, I had another piece published just this morning which may also be of interest https://theconversation.com/mass-online-meditation-lets-you-zone-out-in-cyberspace-24052

Look forward to your thoughts. Best, Sue
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Unknown10 March 2014 at 13:07
Thank you for this diverse selection of materials to review. It has sparked a lot of thoughts for me!

The most common biophilic architecture I’ve seen is vegetation walls either on the inside or outside of buildings as well as large windows and sun roofs. When I see vegetation walls, my eye is automatically drawn to them and it makes me feel happier and relaxed. To me, it brings in familiarity, comfort and a nice smell. Growing up in the countryside I really like the idea of biophilic architecture.

This idea is relatively new to me so I’m not sure what the underlying psychology is behind the beneficial effects of nature (like the fish tank and paintings in the dental office). However, I would assume that it has to do with evolution. Since we evolved in nature, it seems only natural that we try to combine, “bring back” or incorporate nature into our technical man-made environments.

I don’t think video games or other simulated nature can give us everything we need from nature. It doesn’t elicit all senses such as olfactory and tactile, which probably have their own benefits. However, the sights and sounds do remind us of nature and I can see how the simulations would be calming. Looking at my own office and home environments, I tend to have a few biophilic elements such as plants, natural screen savers, etc. and my favourite type of home décor is biophilic by design.

It’s interesting to think of how we incorporate nature into our technological/digital environments rather than thinking of them as separate or on opposite ends of a spectrum. It reminds me of the dichotomy between digital literacies and more traditional literacies such as reading a printed book. Going outside and reading a hard copy book seems to be more socially acceptable than say watching a nature documentary or reading online.
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Sue Thomas11 March 2014 at 06:51
Hi Nicole, I'm glad you found the material interesting.

Re the underlying psychology, in my book I discuss research by Stephen and Rachel Kaplan into what they called Attention Restoration Theory. It's explained in The Experience of Nature, which is now very difficult to get. They found that contact with nature has measurable restorative effects - it's an excellent study if you can get your hands on a copy.

Re your comment about video games not eliciting all the senses, I agree with that. They are just like books, audio, music, video and paintings in that respect -- they can evoke the senses, but are not actually 'real' - whatever that is! However, it won't be long before they can actually do that. Odour, for example, is receiving a lot of attention and one designer even claims to have invented a messaging system which can 'send' odour to a recipient. It would be interesting to see where all that has got to in 50 or 100 years' time.

best
Sue
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Unknown11 March 2014 at 23:46
Thank you Dr. Thomas for your material and questions.

I find the theories of biophilia and technobiophilia very interesting, easy to accept and … if I dare say “natural.” According to E.O. Wilson’s 1984 definition, biophilia is “the innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes” (Thomas, 2013, p. 10). I believe we see examples of this tendency on all kind of human expressions from art, architecture and even machinery. I risked saying natural because it seems like we are instinctively drawn to how life works and looks in its most simple and untouched forms and we learn from that to create items and/or spaces.

In response to question number one, which addresses finding biophilic designs in our surroundings, I thought I could talk about my research for my MACT capping project as I think it might be related. I have been searching for visual similarities between how viruses/ diseases propagate and how communications takes place in social media. It seems to me that the way information moves in social media might have similar patterns to how diseases spread. I find it fascinating that human networks and diseases might have similar patterns of communications.

One of the reasons I believe those similarities actually exist is the language we use to refer to social media content: viral, spread, share, etc. Reading about biophilia and technobiophilia had made me think that is not that crazy that we developed whole communication systems based on other existing life forms.
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Sue Thomas12 March 2014 at 05:03
Hi Andrea, your research sounds fascinating and I'm sure there are many synergies, not least with the way that our adoption of infection-related terms to computer systems then colours our understanding of them. I'm guess you're already familiar with the work of Jussi Parrika in this area? If not, I'm sure you'll find his research very relevant. http://jussiparikka.net/

I'd be interested to see your research project when it's completed. Thanks for your interest in my work.
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Anonymous12 March 2014 at 16:16
Sue, thank you so much for taking the time to aggregate and present this material. This is a huge area of interest for me. I definitely a self-described techno-geek who owns a kayak and craves being in nature. I have decided to approach the answers to the questions you posed systematically, and I have answered them all in order:

1. Have you encountered an example of biophilic design in your own surroundings? If so, please describe it and any beneficial effect you experienced.

The most basic and best biophilic design I experience in my own surroundings is big windows. They are south facing and let in lots of natural sunlight. I sometimes feel like I live in a tree house four stories in the sky with treetops all around me. It’s fantastic! The birds and I hang out on a regular basis. This certainly helps satisfy my “... need for beneficial contact with the natural world”.

2. Does the kind of life shown here resemble your own life or that of anyone you know? What are the features of this kind of life?

The type of sedentary life depicted in the second video resembles life for many of my students (technology-focused graphic communications students) and as difficult as it is for me to admit, this sometimes resembles my own life. Lack of meaningful connectedness in a highly connected online network is at the cornerstone of this backwards techno-bubble many of us spend our days in.

3. What do you think are the most important points made in the discussion?

I feel that the most important points made are:
Technology relies on natural resources to operate and we are depleting our natural resources to power our devices
Technology is only a tool; it’s how we choose to use the tool that makes all the difference
Humans and nature are one in the same and technology is simply an evolution of our being

To be honest, I’m not sure where I stand on this issue (it’s a big topic!), but I do feel that the temptation of technology can take away from our experiences in nature. For example, the desire to want to capture every moment in video or in photos and share it with the world via social media takes away from the actual experience. Lack of living in the present moment and thinking ahead to the way in which we share this moment with others (many of whom are complete strangers or acquaintances at best) leaves less time and energy to feel connected with the here and now.
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Anonymous12 March 2014 at 16:17
Cont...

4. Contrary to the article title, I don’t believe that we can get all the nature we need from the digital world. Do you? Why? Why not?

I couldn’t agree more with you, Sue. I don’t think watching a nature video online can compare to experiencing the multi-sensory world around us. Sight and sound are only two of the five senses. Touch, smell and taste can help shape our overall experiences for the better. I don’t think there is any way technology could fulfill one’s need to be in nature, even with the most advanced multi-sensory technology. It’s just not natural. Sue, when you recount research conducted regarding patients feeling calmer even at the sight of a mural, I don’t think it’s the mural that makes them calm. I think that the images within the mural are triggering their memories about a time they experienced something similar in nature. I believe that it’s this recollection of natural experiences that create the calming effect.

5. Do you think playing games like this can provide similar feelings to being out in nature?

No, I really don’t think so. Again, I think it is completely possible for someone to feel calmer or at greater ease when they see images of nature because it triggers their memory to a time when they experienced beauty in nature. It would be an interesting test to place this imagery in front of someone who has never experienced the beauty of nature (perhaps from a remote and desolate place like the arctic) and see if it still has a calming effect.

6. If you have a Medium account, feel free to write an article and submit it to the collection for consideration. Or maybe you’d just like to add a suggestion to the blog?

I love your article about biomimicry. I write for a trade publication called Graphic Arts Magazine and I wrote an article last May about biomimicry in packaging: http://graphicartsmag.com/articles/2013/05/inspired-projects-pangea-organics/.

There is some fascinating work being done in this area and this is a HUGE area of interest to me (innovative packaging, waste reduction, sustainability and biomimicry). I am actually hoping to complete my final research project in this area. If you have any suggestions, I would LOVE to hear them!

Thanks again, Sue!

(p.s. sorry for the novel-length post, everyone!)
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Sue Thomas13 March 2014 at 04:54
Hi Diana

Thank you for your long thoughtful response. Your comment about big windows is interesting because during my research I came across someone who feels that these kinds of windows have a negative effect because it's better to have a clear delineation between indoors and outdoors. See Bloomer, Kent. ‘The picture window: The problem of viewing nature through glass’. In Biophilic Design , by Stephen R. Kellert, Judith H. Heerwagen and Martin L. Mador, 253–262. New Jersey: Wiley, 2008. I'd be interested in your response to his very controversion suggestion!

You make an interesting point in q3. I wonder how long it will last though? We're excited to take photos because we can, but as we get used to it perhaps that will decline. Maybe there's a similarity to the way we use our memories less obsessively than we used to because we don't need to any more. Will be interesting to see how this develops.

You write 'when you recount research conducted regarding patients feeling calmer even at the sight of a mural, I don’t think it’s the mural that makes them calm. I think that the images within the mural are triggering their memories about a time they experienced something similar in nature. I believe that it’s this recollection of natural experiences that create the calming effect.' I agree with you, and in fact I think that's taken as a given by researchers. But I would also say that I don't believe these are always genuine memories - I suspect some of them are satisfying fantasies. I'm doing some research into this now - will report back later! (as per your response to 5)

NB The biomimicry piece isn't mine - it was submitted to that collection. Thanks for the link to your piece on Pangea Organics - very thought-provoking.
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Mandeep J13 March 2014 at 18:26
Hello Dr. Thomas,

Thank you for the lecture, I found it to be a great mix of different learning mediums, a very unique approach that I will try to incorporate in my future professional and academic career.

Question: Do you think playing games like this can provide similar feelings to being out in nature?

In response to the question above I would was no. As it has been alluded to by my fellow classmates, some aspects of nature can be experienced by a simulated video or game; however it does not replace all the sensory elements.

The reason why I chose this question was that I recently started a new job where I am placed at a work location devoid of windows and natural light. Coming from my pervious position where I was stationed outdoors this new work environment is very foreign to me. Like it was stated in the video “Biophilic Design: The Architecture of Life,” I am craving the small chances I get at lunch and during my break to see natural light and to go outside. Being confined to my desk has taken considerable time to adapt, and I am not sure if I will ever fully acclimate to my new setting. Furthermore, staring at the same calendar and pictures at my desk makes me want to surround myself in nature. Therefore, I would state that a simulated environment maybe a good first step to being introduced to a new experience, but it does not replace nature in its entirety in my opinion, at least not with our current technology.
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Unknown13 March 2014 at 22:37
Hi Sue. Thanks for your lecture. I’m enjoying the content!
I think our connection with the natural world is vitally important to health of our body and minds. For me, there is nothing that beats being in nature… I find its beauty and simplicity calming, peaceful and good for the soul.
I’ll attempt to answer your questions in order below:

1. One biophilic design that comes to mind is the Lee Pavilion located in the atrium of the Edmonton Citadel Theatre (http://www.citadeltheatre.com/venue/lee-pavilion/). It’s a lush garden of plants and trees that incorporates a waterfall and a running stream. Anytime I’m lucky enough to walk by it or through it, I take the opportunity to pause and soak it in as I fully believe it has some sort of rejuvenating power that can remove some of the stresses from the mind.
Another biophilic design is the Shaw Conference Centre Hall D as it has these massive windows showcasing the river valley. The windows provide more than just a view – they seem to make you feel you are right next to nature.

2. I think the video represents the lives of a lot of people. Technology has increasingly taken over peoples day to day activities such that instead of hanging around with their friends/family outside and being active, they are cooped up and isolated in front of their devices. I think people today are recognizing (just as the one character in the video did) that technology doesn’t equal happiness…. as a result more and more people are reconnecting with the outdoors and nature to find what they have been lacking for so long.

3. There were a lot of good points in the discussion. A few that stuck out for me were:
- The idea that technology can be utilized to strengthen our relationship with nature
- The thought that we as humans put to much trust in technology which is causing people to distrust their own instincts and potentially overlook nature.
- I particularly liked the post by Alexander Koch (May 28th)… it’s somewhat summarized by his last statement, “while technology can be a powerful tool in our understanding of nature, because of the context in which the masses of most industrialized societies interact with the fruits of technology, it (generally) does more to complicate and hinder our relationship with nature rather than aid it”

4. I agree... I too don’t believe we can get all the nature we need from the digital world... Simply walking through a virtual forest or watching virtual goldfish swim around doesn’t create the same experience as the real world where one utilizes the spectrum of senses from smelling plants and trees, to feeling the wind and sun against the face and body, etc. I think as humans we have this unique ability distinguish the difference between what is real and what isn’t… at this point in time I don’t think nature can be truly duplicated in a virtual world, it can only be mimicked.

5. I think if anything, video games (that involve nature in a positive way) makes me reflect on the fond memories I’ve experienced in nature in the past…it doesn’t replace them. While watching the trailer it made me think of the last time I was in a field where the wind was blowing and the sun was shining and how that made me feel.

6. I read an article somewhere (I had no luck in finding it) where an architect used huge chunks of sculpted wood (BC redwood I believe) in the interior (atrium areas) of buildings. These massive wood sculptures were definitely part of the décor but they also seemed to have an effect on people that came into the building. The rawness and natural beauty of the wood seemed to resonate with people changing their mood and their behaviour. The article spoke to the human connection to nature and how nature makes people feel better.
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Lynne M.14 March 2014 at 20:50
Question: Have I encountered an example of biophilic design in my own surroundings. Describe it and any beneficial effect I experienced.

An example of biophilic design in my own environment is the gardens around my house. We’ve designed them so there’s lots of greenery that we can see from every window in the house; also we have intentionally designed walking paths throughout. I find it very calming and restorative to walk through during the summer in the early mornings and again in the evenings. In the winter I look out at the snow and the evergreens poking through. Nature is beautiful.

One of my favorite cities is Vancouver. I walk along the seawall and into Stanley Park and feel very close to nature. It’s a wonderful urban experience close to nature and hosting a community of other walkers and bikers moving by. I also love the community gardens in Kitsilano which look just like the gardens in the Architecture of Life video. There are also community gardens in my neighborhood in Edmonton.

A few years ago I worked in a closed in older high rise office building. I always had headaches before the end of every day. I was told I had "sick building syndrome". Since then I've made sure I work where I can open the window in my office and see something green and smell the air. I always have some kind of plants in my office. I’ve never experienced those end of the day headaches again.

It is not my experience that we can get all the nature we need from the digital world. Digital games and movies, although fun and interactive, do not touch the senses and heal emotionally the way nature does. My adult children and their younger cousins will play digital games intensely and then they say something like, let’s go outside and relax and take a break. It’s as if they know intuitively that they need to go outside to reset/restore themselves internally.
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Dr. Jessica Laccetti16 March 2014 at 13:01
Sue, thanks again for your brilliant lecture and sharing such a new subject with us!
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Unknown16 March 2014 at 13:07
Hi Dr. Thomas - thanks for the guest lecture this week - I really enjoyed the articles and videos you chose for us. Here are my answers to the questions you posed:

1. I really liked the quote from the Biophilic Design video where the speaker states that we can ‘design ourselves out” of our current predicament with the help of biophilic design. I have noticed that a few of the new office buildings or homes in my city are being built to purposely include landscape architecture along with the building architecture plans – there is more thought to plants and outside spaces to be used for living or working. I’ve also noticed in a couple of instances where a water feature – a mini-waterfall – have been incorporated into the main entrance area of office buildings.
In my office building – by happy coincidence not design – some of our employees face on to a bit of a forested area, where we can see birds and squirrels right outside our window all year long. Everyone enjoys being in this part of the office, we often tend to congregate in that area to talk or just take a break from our computers to see what’s going on outside, and I find that this does have a beneficial effect because it allows for a change of scenery and a chance to escape from our desks for a while to enjoy our outside surroundings. In the summer months too, our office buildings are surrounded by forested walking trails – so you can actually take a break from being inside and enjoy the outdoors – even though we’re in the middle of the city.

2. 2. Weirdly this video does sort of resemble my life and of people I know. We work and study on computers, so it’s sort of difficult to escape from them. However, I know with my friends we do use social media (I haven’t used Meet up, but I know people that have) to plan social activities (and sporting activities), and just generally use technology to stay in touch and plan get-togethers. We might even get out more often as a group (say for skiing or mountain biking in the evenings) because social media allows us to communicate easily to a large group of people and it’s easy to make plans, or tell people of your plans and invite them to join you…easier than calling each person individually.
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Unknown16 March 2014 at 13:08
Con't:
3. I think some of the important points from the TED discussion are that we are not separate from nature, but perhaps our perception of separation, is one of the problems. Also that technology can be used to further the cause of nature – that it is part of our evolution. I really liked what Kevin Young stated in the discussion, that he feels that nature and technology can be blended together, and he gives the example of the urban learning forest. He states that “I also believe that technology provides us with amazing capabilities in terms of staying connected, finding information, and essentially feeling like the world is at our feet.” I think this is true, and rather exciting, that we can use technology blend nature and technology to help further our understanding of the world around us.

4. I also don’t think we can get all our nature from the digital world. I think that digital technology can be used as a tool to enhance our relationship with the environment at large, but it can never take the place of co-habiting or interacting with actual living things. I think the point you make in your article, Dr. Thomas, is very true – that we must consider biophilic design moving forward in terms of technology - “There is already a growing sense in the wired community that connections with the natural world are vital to digital well-being, both now and in the future. This same community needs to pay attention to biophilia and to its implementation in biophilic design. With the help of biophilic insights, we can connect the planet beneath our feet with the planet inside our machines.”

5. I’m not sure if playing games like Flower can provide similar feelings to being in nature. I haven’t played a lot of video games, but for myself, I don’t think it could provide similar feelings to being out in nature, because being there are other senses that are being stimulated when you’re out doors that just your visual perception – I think you need to feel and smell and touch the actual environment. But having said that, I have a friend with a 13 year old son who loves video games. Last summer my friend ‘forced’ his son to go on day hike up a mountain and when they got to the top he said to his son “Look at the view – isn’t this amazing? Wasn’t this worth the effort?” and his son replied that he could have used Google maps to see the same view…
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Sue Thomas17 March 2014 at 14:28
Hi Natasha

Thanks for your story about the office - that sounds like a very positive experience for everyone.

I agree with your observation that our perception of being separated is one of the problems. And I too am excited by the possibilities that a tech-nature approach could bring.

Interesting story re the boy and his google maps! It would be a good exercise to take a tablet with Google Earth on it up there and spend some time looking at both together. Maybe next year :)
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Unknown17 March 2014 at 19:53
Thanks Sue - that is an excellent idea - and one that I will pass on to my friends - I'm sure their kids would find hiking a lot more interesting if they brought along a tablet. I think in some our provincial parks there are actually points of interest markers where you can find out information about the wildlife along the trails (with quick response codes) - I'm sure this interactivity would be right up their alley!
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