Where is the Human Mind Headed with ICT? Perspectives on the Crossover Between Reality and Imagination
摘要
Through the development of the internet, there has been major progression made in society. This paper aims to examine the role technology, specifically information and communication technologies (ICT) play in the adaptation of humans’ sense of self and mind using online counseling. The experiment involved giving mock counseling to the participants, who were students majoring in clinical psychology, in the form of online video counseling (the online condition) and face-to-face counseling (the face-to-face condition) for 30 minutes each. The research participants were then asked to rate their experience of each type of counseling on a scale and give an interview. There was no difference in the scores for the mock counseling under either condition, but there were differences regarding the overall experience. Additionally, clients’ qualitative experience and what was communicated differed between online video counseling and face-to-face counseling. In addition, another experiment using augmented perceptual experiences using OTON GLASS, an augmented perception device that reads textual information aloud for the visually impaired was analyzed. 20 students were asked to wear an OTON GLASS, while still being able to see normally and listen to OTON GLASS reading a text aloud. Then, they rated their experience on a scale. After that, they were asked to perform the same task and rating, while wearing both OTON GLASS and an eye mask to obstruct their vision. The ratings for the two statements “It was uncomfortable” and “My senses became unusually acute” were significantly higher in the latter condition. Then, the author interviewed the research participants about their experience under each condition. The participants were broadly classified into four groups based on their interview comments about interacting with the device. The results show that humans using technology use their imagination or create new effects in their minds. This in turn makes us, the users, more conscious of the changes in our perception and state of mind.