Gallery
Experiment overview
A presentation methodology that deliberately personifies technological systems to transform abstract digital concepts into relatable entities with physical needs and environmental impacts.
The approach reframes technology from immaterial “cloud” services to resource-consuming “neighbors” that coexist with humans in shared ecological systems.
Main objectives
The experiment reconceptualized human-technology relationships by introducing digital systems as resource-dependent “neighbors” rather than magical services, making invisible digital infrastructure tangible through personification techniques that highlighted its real-world environmental impacts.
Achieved results
The presentation technique successfully disrupted conventional thinking about technology as immaterial or magically efficient.
The occasional inclusion of actual bots in discussions as an equal partner, further reinforced the tangible nature of digital systems, creating memorable learning moments that challenged the “magical cloud” misconception.
Main reflection
This educational experiment demonstrated the power of personification in overcoming abstract technological concepts that often shield environmental impacts from consideration.
By framing servers, AI systems, and digital infrastructure as entities with physical needs - particularly water consumption - the approach created immediate understanding that traditional explanations often fail to achieve.
This simple reframing technique created lasting awareness of digital infrastructure’s physical dimension without requiring complex technical explanations, suggesting that anthropomorphism can be strategically employed to increase environmental literacy around digital systems.