Late joiner. Will try to catch up. Looking at the instructions, and wondering if we’re supposed to post the actual tetrads or just commentary?
I first thought about doing one for PDFs. Then I thought about vibe coding. It occurs to me that one thing missing from the tetrad is maybe the audience, which has the components of a group of people and a period in time. Broadcast TV in the 70s is not broadcast TV in the 2020s. And even urban versus rural, for instance. Maybe if I’d delved more into McLuhan he has addressed this.
This kind of turns to point 5. I’m not sure I had any new thoughts as a result of the exercise. As a formalism though it requires you to pay attention, make some decisions, and be conscious of your choices. Though that can also in my experience make me lazy and accept the easy/common answers.
It might be more interesting to try to apply it to something that feels more new or emergent – like chatbots or virtual companions.
To point 6, I can see value in using the tetrads as ways of surfacing different perspectives or mental models. Because in forming them it requires some choice about what to attend to or foreground and what to leave out. As a solo exercise, it seems less useful than I imagine it would be if were we trying to use it to create some agreement or shared understanding. I can see it like planning and plans. The end product is only a (small) part of the value of doing the whole process (togther).
Hello Donald,
I joined last week, binged through the lessons (LOL) over the weekend-ish. Welcome to the workshop. If you choose to do so, I look forward to your intro – https://pkm.jarche.ca/introductions/ – and to being in workshop with you and others!
p.s. I agree 100% that the tetrad exercise is better in groups, e.g., conversing and debating about the four effects.
The technology for this activity – CGM, continuous glucose monitor.
I reply for this lesson activity in two parts –
– BELOW to the 6 questions posed
– in REPLY with my tetrad of the four effects
1. TECHNOLOGY – chose CGM, continuous glucose monitor (I do not use one. I have several friends and colleagues who do.)
2. TETRAD – In the REPLY to this comment, I’ve listed each of the four effects (e.g., enhances/extends, obsolesces, retrieves, reverses) with several thoughts for each
3. PROCESS – I followed enhance -> obsolesces – retrieve -> reverses. And while enhance -> obsolesces was definitely easiest to backfill, I did find retrieve fairly straightforward for my chosen technology (CGM) – assuming I did the exercise correctly. (LOL) Reverses became a “rabbit hole” (for good or bad).
4. CHALLENGES – Many of my responses (irrespective of McLuhan’s tetrad four effects) draw upon conversations I’ve had with friends who have CGMs – diabetics and non-diabetics, others who like tracking health data, and others who are obsessed with longevity. My small challenge was in organizing my thoughts to place under one of the four effects.
My “reverses” were inspired by recent (political) rants I’ve had – current nominee for the U.S. Surgeon General is a co-founder of a CGM. (I’ve spared you all other rant-related thoughts.) And in fact, my mention of “third-party access” is because of the growing cybersecurity issues and particularly the U.S. administration’s disregard for laws (which I’d imagine HIPPA is already being violated).
I am NOT against technology, however, like my perspective with the AI-landscape, I hope that health-related technologies don’t make folks self-select ignorance, laziness, and increased reliance on machines (monitors).
Harold mentioned in Lesson 2/Curiosity – “There is a decreasing requirement for machine-like human work which is routine, standardized, or brute. This is becoming obvious with the use of generative AI.” . . . and while I understand the distrust in the healthcare system (esp. the U.S. system, of which I am part), I do believe that these technologies should not necessarily supplant the doctor (assuming more proactive, holistic) patient kind of relationship and interaction.
5. NEW EYES – Yes and No.
NO . . . because what I’ve shared is from ongoing conversations with friends, as well as listening to a variety of podcasters’ (e.g., health/wellness, technology, spiritual woo-woo, etc.) perspectives.
YES . . . because I went down my own “rabbit hole” and realized two obvious effects that slipped my mind the first time I drafted my response –
– Enhances – no prescription, OTC (over the counter) availability
– Reverse – dystopian sci-fi – my brain goes to how CGMs or other personal health monitoring devices or practices become mandatory, such as hiring practices. (P.S. I love the movie Gattaca, IMDb – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119177 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World – https://huxleyarchive.org/Fiction/COVERS/Brave%20New%20World.html)
6. DECISION MAKING – I imagine it can be helpful for business decisions or where to invest my energy.
ENHANCES/EXTENDS: helps those with diabetes, as well as pre-diabetics, manage health more regularly
– immediate data – extends near real-time glucose level from a wearable (e.g., bluetooth to view glucose level on mobile phone)
– sharing – can be shared for accountability (e.g., doctor, health coach, community)
– trends – easy to see daily, weekly, etc. health practices
– course-corrections – can make decisions on foods and exercises/movements that shape results
– no prescription, over the counter (OTC) availability
OBSOLESCES: lab test or home test kit for periodic blood draw
– obsolesces former conventional process of blood draw with syringe or personal finger prick
– for lab test, usually done once or a few times a year
– for home test, may have device that reads results and stores or person logs; can be costly depending on frequency of tests
– for hybrid lab + home, something like this where take tests and mail to lab – https://www.labcorp.com/content/dam/labcorp/files/kit-instruction/1144474_IFU_Advance%20Dx%20IFU_Final_Secured.pdf
RETRIEVES: analog, periodic health tracking relying on medical visits
– analog – recording health results via pen/paper to discuss with doctor
– gathering and retention of data
– interpretation of results by medical folk
– a waiting game (for doctor appointment) to learn how one is doing
REVERSES: obsession with daily results as means of managing health/wellness practice, at expense of overall health (e.g., emotional, spiritual, intellectual, etc.)
– privacy, third-party access – whether third-parties have access to one’s gathered data despite HIPPA disclosure/privacy laws (HIPPA, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is a U.S. law intended to protect health info)
– disregard for medical/science – less reliance on experienced practitioners for support managing and interpreting results
– narrow perspective – overlooking other indicators that may be affecting overall health
– grifters – health and wellness grifters take advantage of biohackers, peak performance, and other technology-reliant longevity folks
– accuracy – overly trusting of the technology (e.g., accuracy issues, false positives)
– interpretation of results – may result in debates with/distrust of medical folks’ interpretations and advice
It’s not this, or many other, technologies that are scary, but how they are used by fascists and their supporting tech-bros in pushing techno-feudalism — IHMO
100% agree, Harold.
And then there is Casey Means (co-founder of a CGM) who likely will be appointed and towing the RFK Jr. agenda. CGMs are costly (unless health insurance covers, but even then). It is a privileged to some extent, these wearable.
ALSO, please, Harold,correct anything I’ve submitted and posed. Doing this tetrad lesson activity has not always been smooth sailing for me, does not necessarily come easy. LOL!!!
Of course! I appreciate the opportunity to retake the workshop. I like to (re)learn and find those updates you may make. And I stand by what I’ve shared about your workshop – https://jarche.com/2024/01/20-years-of-pkm/
p.s. Striving to keep pace this workshop with the lessons.
Thanks for all your insights over many years, Shirley. I have only made minor edits for this version.
It is most likely that the October workshop will be my last one. My consulting business is shutting down and it was my experiences with clients that drove much of the content. I never wanted to be an armchair quarterback or an academic in an ivory tower. I have tried to keep my work grounded in practice. Also, the AI tidal wave is becoming too much of a distraction and few people or businesses are interested in my work around people and cooperation/collaboration.
I am genuinely sorry to hear this, but also not surprised. I have many friends who are brilliant at what they do but are slowly being edged out by AI and are left wondering ‘what next’. I think AI could have been / could be a tool for good and yet it seems to me that we have not made, and continue to not make, good decisions — or to really think about future implications in full. It is disturbing, and ultimately not to our benefit as a society. We will miss out by not having folks like you in the mix — and I hope this is realised and addressed sooner rather than later!
I created four tetrads — two each for mobile phones and video games; they are included at the bottom of this post. I was tempted to choose wearables because I have just purchased a pair of Meta glasses to play with for work, but I knew Shirley had chosen another wearable and I didn’t want to overlap too much. 🙂
One of the reasons I chose mobile phones was that I’m working with some colleagues who are studying ‘digital detox’ schemes in different education contexts; in one of these contexts, students are being asked to lock their phones away in a neutral location prior to class. It is interesting to use this model to think about how we’ve come to that point, and how it’s not necessarily just cut and dry (as their preliminary results are indicating — people have really mixed ideas about this tech, and mixed responses to the interventions).
I selected video games because I love them, but I also love reading, spending time outside, and making things with my hands. There is always a part of me that feels like I’m ‘wasting time’ when gaming, but then I’m also a little sad if I go a long time without making progress and exploring new worlds in one of my games. I teach a session on game-making in educational contexts, and one of the examples I give is how educational some games can be — such as the latter Assassin’s Creeds, which are extremely well researched and incorporate real historical figures and events; AC Origins includes a feature where you can tour the Egyptian pyramids — about as close as I will probably ever get to seeing them in real life!
The exercise is challenging but fun, because you do always find a way to populate all four categories even if you initially struggle. It’s a good model — it really does seem to apply to all the media! As my own musings above suggest, this analysis is obviously relevant to my context because it provides a way to think about the tools we are using and the approaches we are taking in education, but it also offers a means of teaching our students how to undertake this same critical thinking process.
Mobile phones
• Extend our availability, accessibility
• Obsolesce landlines
• Retrieve individual/personalised oral communications (as opposed to early landlines which were routed through an operator and resulting in conversations that could be heard by everyone in the house)
• Reverse into digital overwhelm leading people to, e.g., always leave phone on mute, buy flip-phones, etc., in order to reclaim personal time
Mobile phones also
• Extend our carrying capacity by condensing lots of kit/knowledge into one place
• Obsolesce, e.g., separate devices for music and photography, physical maps, analogue notebooks, etc.
• Retrieve nostalgia and appreciation for the devices and experiences of the past (e.g., as seen in some of the apps and filters that mimic other formats)
• Reverse into digital overwhelm leading people to, e.g., resume use of multiple devices, work in analogue, etc., in order to have a break from screen time and pursue different types of embodied practice
Video games
• Extend opportunities for relaxation and play
• Obsolesce analogue games (tabletop, card games, playing outdoors)
• Retrieve playfulness – e.g., allowing older children and adults to retrieve (or continue) play rather than positioning this as solely a pursuit for children
• Reverse into health scares about being too sedentary, harming our eyes, psychological issues – leading to, e.g., a renewed interest in tabletop games, embodied/outdoor games, etc.
Video games also
• Extend our exposure to different cultures
• Obsolesce travel, reading, visiting museums, etc.
• Retrieve access to places we can no longer visit because of, e.g., damage, political instability, cost
• Reverse into disconnection with actual embodied culture because it is experienced through a limited number of senses (e.g., a digital tour of the pyramids allows you to see and maybe even hear, but not smell or touch or taste) and it is not fully contextualised (e.g., through meeting locals, eating food, seeing the whole landscape, etc.)
I quite like the video games tetrad you’ve done, Caitlin. I especially like what you identified for “RETRIEVE” – stating as you did makes this legible – playfulness and bygones.
I have tried to do the tetrad exercise with “Generative AI”. What I found most difficult was what “retrieves”. I have seen it from a new perspective, which has led me to a half-baked idea that I will share.
Extends: thinking capabilities and production capacity
Reverses: critical thinking (when you delegate thinking capabilities) and identification of “sources of truth” due to misuse and enormous proliferation of content.
Obsolescence: encyclopedias and generalist libraries, multidisciplinary teams (when not hyper-specialized)
Retrieves: trusted networks of sources of truth.
Gen AI “Retrieves: trusted networks of sources of truth.” This is pretty my conclusion as well, as people abandon spaces filled with AI slop and try to make human connections. Unfortunately it is mostly those who are already privileged that can do this. I once wrote that it retrieves Socratic dialogue https://jarche.com/2023/05/technology-analyzing-technology/
Toni, I don’t (yet?) use Gen AI and really appreciate your tetrad analysis. This also gives me a new perspective. Looking forward to your half-baked idea.
I guess I’m not grounded in the “retrieves” concept because I’m not following this usage. But I see the point. A sort of retrieving the Enlightenment where you have networks of correspondence that move things forward (for those who are included/have connections).
I had thought about doing Gen AI too. I think one thing I would say it retrieves is dialog/conversation as the primary mode of information gathering/sensemaking. This sort of turn-taking and apparent responsiveness. One of my pet-peeves is anthropomorphizing GenAI systems. But it’s a hard thing to do. Such a seductive short-hand.
Late joiner. Will try to catch up. Looking at the instructions, and wondering if we’re supposed to post the actual tetrads or just commentary?
I first thought about doing one for PDFs. Then I thought about vibe coding. It occurs to me that one thing missing from the tetrad is maybe the audience, which has the components of a group of people and a period in time. Broadcast TV in the 70s is not broadcast TV in the 2020s. And even urban versus rural, for instance. Maybe if I’d delved more into McLuhan he has addressed this.
This kind of turns to point 5. I’m not sure I had any new thoughts as a result of the exercise. As a formalism though it requires you to pay attention, make some decisions, and be conscious of your choices. Though that can also in my experience make me lazy and accept the easy/common answers.
It might be more interesting to try to apply it to something that feels more new or emergent – like chatbots or virtual companions.
To point 6, I can see value in using the tetrads as ways of surfacing different perspectives or mental models. Because in forming them it requires some choice about what to attend to or foreground and what to leave out. As a solo exercise, it seems less useful than I imagine it would be if were we trying to use it to create some agreement or shared understanding. I can see it like planning and plans. The end product is only a (small) part of the value of doing the whole process (togther).
Hello Donald,
I joined last week, binged through the lessons (LOL) over the weekend-ish. Welcome to the workshop. If you choose to do so, I look forward to your intro – https://pkm.jarche.ca/introductions/ – and to being in workshop with you and others!
p.s. I agree 100% that the tetrad exercise is better in groups, e.g., conversing and debating about the four effects.
Post whatever you want here, Donald. Yes, this exercise works better in groups.
The technology for this activity – CGM, continuous glucose monitor.
I reply for this lesson activity in two parts –
– BELOW to the 6 questions posed
– in REPLY with my tetrad of the four effects
1. TECHNOLOGY – chose CGM, continuous glucose monitor (I do not use one. I have several friends and colleagues who do.)
2. TETRAD – In the REPLY to this comment, I’ve listed each of the four effects (e.g., enhances/extends, obsolesces, retrieves, reverses) with several thoughts for each
3. PROCESS – I followed enhance -> obsolesces – retrieve -> reverses. And while enhance -> obsolesces was definitely easiest to backfill, I did find retrieve fairly straightforward for my chosen technology (CGM) – assuming I did the exercise correctly. (LOL) Reverses became a “rabbit hole” (for good or bad).
4. CHALLENGES – Many of my responses (irrespective of McLuhan’s tetrad four effects) draw upon conversations I’ve had with friends who have CGMs – diabetics and non-diabetics, others who like tracking health data, and others who are obsessed with longevity. My small challenge was in organizing my thoughts to place under one of the four effects.
My “reverses” were inspired by recent (political) rants I’ve had – current nominee for the U.S. Surgeon General is a co-founder of a CGM. (I’ve spared you all other rant-related thoughts.) And in fact, my mention of “third-party access” is because of the growing cybersecurity issues and particularly the U.S. administration’s disregard for laws (which I’d imagine HIPPA is already being violated).
I am NOT against technology, however, like my perspective with the AI-landscape, I hope that health-related technologies don’t make folks self-select ignorance, laziness, and increased reliance on machines (monitors).
Harold mentioned in Lesson 2/Curiosity – “There is a decreasing requirement for machine-like human work which is routine, standardized, or brute. This is becoming obvious with the use of generative AI.” . . . and while I understand the distrust in the healthcare system (esp. the U.S. system, of which I am part), I do believe that these technologies should not necessarily supplant the doctor (assuming more proactive, holistic) patient kind of relationship and interaction.
5. NEW EYES – Yes and No.
NO . . . because what I’ve shared is from ongoing conversations with friends, as well as listening to a variety of podcasters’ (e.g., health/wellness, technology, spiritual woo-woo, etc.) perspectives.
YES . . . because I went down my own “rabbit hole” and realized two obvious effects that slipped my mind the first time I drafted my response –
– Enhances – no prescription, OTC (over the counter) availability
– Reverse – dystopian sci-fi – my brain goes to how CGMs or other personal health monitoring devices or practices become mandatory, such as hiring practices. (P.S. I love the movie Gattaca, IMDb – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119177 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World – https://huxleyarchive.org/Fiction/COVERS/Brave%20New%20World.html)
6. DECISION MAKING – I imagine it can be helpful for business decisions or where to invest my energy.
(FWIW, during the May 2024 PKMastery workshop, I chose the “Soundcloud” app technology – https://nicheless.blog/post/now-%7C-mcluhans-tetrad-example – and looked at it from the user and the musician perspectives)
Chosen CGM TETRAD thoughts
ENHANCES/EXTENDS: helps those with diabetes, as well as pre-diabetics, manage health more regularly
– immediate data – extends near real-time glucose level from a wearable (e.g., bluetooth to view glucose level on mobile phone)
– sharing – can be shared for accountability (e.g., doctor, health coach, community)
– trends – easy to see daily, weekly, etc. health practices
– course-corrections – can make decisions on foods and exercises/movements that shape results
– no prescription, over the counter (OTC) availability
OBSOLESCES: lab test or home test kit for periodic blood draw
– obsolesces former conventional process of blood draw with syringe or personal finger prick
– for lab test, usually done once or a few times a year
– for home test, may have device that reads results and stores or person logs; can be costly depending on frequency of tests
– for hybrid lab + home, something like this where take tests and mail to lab – https://www.labcorp.com/content/dam/labcorp/files/kit-instruction/1144474_IFU_Advance%20Dx%20IFU_Final_Secured.pdf
RETRIEVES: analog, periodic health tracking relying on medical visits
– analog – recording health results via pen/paper to discuss with doctor
– gathering and retention of data
– interpretation of results by medical folk
– a waiting game (for doctor appointment) to learn how one is doing
REVERSES: obsession with daily results as means of managing health/wellness practice, at expense of overall health (e.g., emotional, spiritual, intellectual, etc.)
– privacy, third-party access – whether third-parties have access to one’s gathered data despite HIPPA disclosure/privacy laws (HIPPA, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is a U.S. law intended to protect health info)
– disregard for medical/science – less reliance on experienced practitioners for support managing and interpreting results
– narrow perspective – overlooking other indicators that may be affecting overall health
– grifters – health and wellness grifters take advantage of biohackers, peak performance, and other technology-reliant longevity folks
– accuracy – overly trusting of the technology (e.g., accuracy issues, false positives)
– interpretation of results – may result in debates with/distrust of medical folks’ interpretations and advice
AND dystopian sci-fi – my brain goes to how CGMs or other personal health monitoring devices or practices become mandatory, such as hiring practices. (P.S. I love the movie Gattaca, IMDb – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119177 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World – https://huxleyarchive.org/Fiction/COVERS/Brave%20New%20World.html)
It’s not this, or many other, technologies that are scary, but how they are used by fascists and their supporting tech-bros in pushing techno-feudalism — IHMO
100% agree, Harold.
And then there is Casey Means (co-founder of a CGM) who likely will be appointed and towing the RFK Jr. agenda. CGMs are costly (unless health insurance covers, but even then). It is a privileged to some extent, these wearable.
ALSO, please, Harold,correct anything I’ve submitted and posed. Doing this tetrad lesson activity has not always been smooth sailing for me, does not necessarily come easy. LOL!!!
I haven’t found anything to correct, Shirley. I really appreciate how you throw yourself into these activities!
Of course! I appreciate the opportunity to retake the workshop. I like to (re)learn and find those updates you may make. And I stand by what I’ve shared about your workshop – https://jarche.com/2024/01/20-years-of-pkm/
p.s. Striving to keep pace this workshop with the lessons.
Thanks for all your insights over many years, Shirley. I have only made minor edits for this version.
It is most likely that the October workshop will be my last one. My consulting business is shutting down and it was my experiences with clients that drove much of the content. I never wanted to be an armchair quarterback or an academic in an ivory tower. I have tried to keep my work grounded in practice. Also, the AI tidal wave is becoming too much of a distraction and few people or businesses are interested in my work around people and cooperation/collaboration.
Harold, with hand to heart – you are very welcome and is quite understandable.
I am genuinely sorry to hear this, but also not surprised. I have many friends who are brilliant at what they do but are slowly being edged out by AI and are left wondering ‘what next’. I think AI could have been / could be a tool for good and yet it seems to me that we have not made, and continue to not make, good decisions — or to really think about future implications in full. It is disturbing, and ultimately not to our benefit as a society. We will miss out by not having folks like you in the mix — and I hope this is realised and addressed sooner rather than later!
I created four tetrads — two each for mobile phones and video games; they are included at the bottom of this post. I was tempted to choose wearables because I have just purchased a pair of Meta glasses to play with for work, but I knew Shirley had chosen another wearable and I didn’t want to overlap too much. 🙂
One of the reasons I chose mobile phones was that I’m working with some colleagues who are studying ‘digital detox’ schemes in different education contexts; in one of these contexts, students are being asked to lock their phones away in a neutral location prior to class. It is interesting to use this model to think about how we’ve come to that point, and how it’s not necessarily just cut and dry (as their preliminary results are indicating — people have really mixed ideas about this tech, and mixed responses to the interventions).
I selected video games because I love them, but I also love reading, spending time outside, and making things with my hands. There is always a part of me that feels like I’m ‘wasting time’ when gaming, but then I’m also a little sad if I go a long time without making progress and exploring new worlds in one of my games. I teach a session on game-making in educational contexts, and one of the examples I give is how educational some games can be — such as the latter Assassin’s Creeds, which are extremely well researched and incorporate real historical figures and events; AC Origins includes a feature where you can tour the Egyptian pyramids — about as close as I will probably ever get to seeing them in real life!
The exercise is challenging but fun, because you do always find a way to populate all four categories even if you initially struggle. It’s a good model — it really does seem to apply to all the media! As my own musings above suggest, this analysis is obviously relevant to my context because it provides a way to think about the tools we are using and the approaches we are taking in education, but it also offers a means of teaching our students how to undertake this same critical thinking process.
Mobile phones
• Extend our availability, accessibility
• Obsolesce landlines
• Retrieve individual/personalised oral communications (as opposed to early landlines which were routed through an operator and resulting in conversations that could be heard by everyone in the house)
• Reverse into digital overwhelm leading people to, e.g., always leave phone on mute, buy flip-phones, etc., in order to reclaim personal time
Mobile phones also
• Extend our carrying capacity by condensing lots of kit/knowledge into one place
• Obsolesce, e.g., separate devices for music and photography, physical maps, analogue notebooks, etc.
• Retrieve nostalgia and appreciation for the devices and experiences of the past (e.g., as seen in some of the apps and filters that mimic other formats)
• Reverse into digital overwhelm leading people to, e.g., resume use of multiple devices, work in analogue, etc., in order to have a break from screen time and pursue different types of embodied practice
Video games
• Extend opportunities for relaxation and play
• Obsolesce analogue games (tabletop, card games, playing outdoors)
• Retrieve playfulness – e.g., allowing older children and adults to retrieve (or continue) play rather than positioning this as solely a pursuit for children
• Reverse into health scares about being too sedentary, harming our eyes, psychological issues – leading to, e.g., a renewed interest in tabletop games, embodied/outdoor games, etc.
Video games also
• Extend our exposure to different cultures
• Obsolesce travel, reading, visiting museums, etc.
• Retrieve access to places we can no longer visit because of, e.g., damage, political instability, cost
• Reverse into disconnection with actual embodied culture because it is experienced through a limited number of senses (e.g., a digital tour of the pyramids allows you to see and maybe even hear, but not smell or touch or taste) and it is not fully contextualised (e.g., through meeting locals, eating food, seeing the whole landscape, etc.)
I quite like the video games tetrad you’ve done, Caitlin. I especially like what you identified for “RETRIEVE” – stating as you did makes this legible – playfulness and bygones.
I have tried to do the tetrad exercise with “Generative AI”. What I found most difficult was what “retrieves”. I have seen it from a new perspective, which has led me to a half-baked idea that I will share.
Extends: thinking capabilities and production capacity
Reverses: critical thinking (when you delegate thinking capabilities) and identification of “sources of truth” due to misuse and enormous proliferation of content.
Obsolescence: encyclopedias and generalist libraries, multidisciplinary teams (when not hyper-specialized)
Retrieves: trusted networks of sources of truth.
Gen AI “Retrieves: trusted networks of sources of truth.” This is pretty my conclusion as well, as people abandon spaces filled with AI slop and try to make human connections. Unfortunately it is mostly those who are already privileged that can do this. I once wrote that it retrieves Socratic dialogue https://jarche.com/2023/05/technology-analyzing-technology/
Toni, I don’t (yet?) use Gen AI and really appreciate your tetrad analysis. This also gives me a new perspective. Looking forward to your half-baked idea.
I guess I’m not grounded in the “retrieves” concept because I’m not following this usage. But I see the point. A sort of retrieving the Enlightenment where you have networks of correspondence that move things forward (for those who are included/have connections).
I had thought about doing Gen AI too. I think one thing I would say it retrieves is dialog/conversation as the primary mode of information gathering/sensemaking. This sort of turn-taking and apparent responsiveness. One of my pet-peeves is anthropomorphizing GenAI systems. But it’s a hard thing to do. Such a seductive short-hand.
“One of my pet-peeves is anthropomorphizing GenAI systems.” — Me too!