The Borg–eye and the We–I. The production of a collective living body through wearable computers

• Published in: AI & society Vol. 35; no. 1; pp. 39 - 49
• Main Author: Liberati, Nicola
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Springer London 01.03.2020; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Artificial Intelligence; Computer Science; Computers; Constitution; Control; Engineering Economics; Logistics; Marketing; Mechatronics; Methodology of the Social Sciences; Organization; Original Article; Performing Arts; Robotics; Wearable computers; Wearable technology; Phenomenology; Collective subject; Wearable computers; Mediation theory; Embodiment relations; Postphenomenology
• ISSN: 0951-5666; 1435-5655
• DOI: 10.1007/s00146-018-0840-x

The aim of this work is to analyze the constitution of a new collective subject thanks to wearable computers. Wearable computers are emerging technologies which are supposed to become pervasively used in the near future. They are devices designed to be on us every single moment of our life and to capture every experience we have. Therefore, we need to be prepared to such intrusive devices and to analyze potential effect they will have on us and our society. Thanks to a phenomenological and postphenomenological analysis, we will show how these technologies are able to generate a new collective subject with its different collective needs and appetites by merging the living body of many subjects into one. The world becomes dwelled by these new collective subjects, and we will feed their own peculiar needs.