Persuasive Everyware - Possibilities and Limitations

摘要

This paper provides a brief overview of the continuously growing field of Persuasive technology, and addresses some of the apparent benefits of considering ubiquitous and pervasive technologies in a persuasive design context. Advantageous as a combination of the research fields may be, it also calls for thorough ethical reflections, if the persuasive technologies of the future are to be efficient as well as appropriate. By applying persuasive principles to ubiquitous and pervasive technologies, the notion of Kairos may be more thoroughly incorporated into the design, than be the case for any other persuasive technology. However, in consideration of the different dimensions of Kairos, contextual reflections must not only be related to practical design issues, but also constitute a significant perspective upon the ethical considerations of such technologies. In order to address the need for a contextual dimension in the ethical foundation of Persuasive Everyware, this paper introduces the ethical reflections of Danish theologian and philosopher K.E. L0gstrup, and argues towards the benefits of a three-dimensional perspective on ethics.