computing as enchantment

2 months ago

enchantment is the process of taking an otherwise inert object or space and imbuing it with unique, magical properties. it’s at once a kind of ritual and a kind of craft: useful, spiritual, while also basing itself in physical reality as its ground truth.

enchantment cannot happen without an enchanter and an object of enchantment: this provides us a useful mental model, given form through years of cultural practice across the world.

what if we took the practice of enchantment seriously, not simply as a metaphor for computing, but as a template for the means and mode by which we relate to it in our everyday lives?

in this model, computing is reverent to physical space and physical objects. it is additive, extending or complementing a physical object’s existing properties, rather than superseding them. it is contextually and spacially bound, shaped to function flexibly, but grounded in a sense of what it specifically relates to. there is no “single device to rule them all,” but rather a bricolage of purpose-driven objects and spaces, which diffuse the computing experience beyond a single locus of attention and interaction.

most importantly, anchoring against enchantment as a historical and cultural practice is an invitation to view computing from the lens of wonder, personal significance, and play. to think of computing as magic, ourselves as enchanters, and the objects around us as opportunities to experiment with the same sense of playful reinvention and recontextualization of physical objects that a child might have when they play pretend. or, put another way: what else could a hammer be? and what else could be a hammer?functional fixedness vs flexibility