Social interface is a concept from
social science
Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...
(particularly,
media ecology
Media ecology is the study of media, technology, and communication and how they affect human environments. The theoretical concepts were proposed by Marshall McLuhan in 1964, while the term ''media ecology'' was first formally introduced by Neil ...
(
Marshall McLuhan
Herbert Marshall McLuhan (, ; July 21, 1911 – December 31, 1980) was a Canadian philosopher whose work is among the cornerstones of the study of media studies, media theory. Raised in Winnipeg, McLuhan studied at the University of Manitoba a ...
) and
sociology of technology).
It can be approached from a theoretical or a practical perspective.
As a concept of social interface theory, social interface is defined by
Norman Long (1989, 2001). In 2001 his revised definition was:
In other words, interfaces are the areas in which social friction can be experienced and where
diffusion of new technology is leading to structural discontinuities (which can be both positive or negative), the interface is where they will occur. Long continues to say that:
Identifying these interfaces and analyzing their effects shows how they are changed by everyday life, and how in return everyday life is changed by the interfaces.
As practical concept of
social interface design, social interface is seen in the studies of
human-computer interaction (in particular, its
computer interface aspect). The basic thesis is that where a computer interface is more akin to another human, it can facilitate correct responses from users during human-to-computer interaction. Software that can provide such humanizing cues often does it by creating interface with human-like quality (such as giving recognizable
gender
Gender is the range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man (or boy), woman (or girl), or third gender. Although gender often corresponds to sex, a transgender person may identify with a gender other tha ...
to a
software agent). Studies are often concerned with how should such agents (like the
Microsoft Agent) be designed to make them more appealing (is having
facial expression
Facial expression is the motion and positioning of the muscles beneath the skin of the face. These movements convey the emotional state of an individual to observers and are a form of nonverbal communication. They are a primary means of conveying ...
s efficient, should the agent be
anthropomorphic, and so on).
[Michael A. Cusumano, Richard W. Selby, ''Microsoft Secrets: How the World's Most Powerful Software Company Creates Technology, Shakes Markets and Manages People''. Simon and Schuster, 1998, ]
Google Print, p.178
/ref>
See also
* Interactivity
Notes
{{Reflist
External links
Michael Feldstein: "A Different Take on Social Interfaces"
Sociological theories
User interfaces