Amber Case: We are all cyborgs now

Translator: Klyment Wong Reviewer: Chitmin Ng

I would like to tell you all

我想同你哋講，

that you are all actually cyborgs,

其實你哋都係半機械人，

but not the cyborgs that you think.

不過唔係你哋念嘅果種半機械人。

You're not RoboCop, and you're not Terminator,

你哋唔係鐵甲威龍，亦都唔係終結者，

but you're cyborgs every time you look at a computer screen

但係每次你望住個屏幕

or use one of your cell phone devices.

或者用手機果陣，你就係一個半機械人。

So what's a good definition for cyborg?

甘點先為止正宗嘅半機械人呢？

Well, traditional definition is "an organism

嗱，傳統嚟講就係

to which exogenous components have been added

“一個有機體為咗適應新環衛

for the purpose of adapting to new environments."

而被添加外部組件。”

That came from a 1960 paper on space travel,

呢種講法係源於1960年一篇記錄太空漫遊嘅文章。

because, if you think about it, space is pretty awkward.

因為你認真唸下，太空其實好可怕；

People aren't supposed to be there.

人類本嚟就唔應該係果度。

But humans are curious, and they like to add things to their bodies

不過人類都係好有奇心嘅，佢哋鐘意係自己身上加啲嘢，

so they can go to the Alps one day

所以總有一日佢地可以爬上阿爾卑斯山，

and then become a fish in the sea the next.

跟住另外一日又變成海底嘅一條魚。

So let's look at the concept of traditional anthropology.

等我哋嚟睇下傳統概唸上嘅人類學係觀點。

Somebody goes to another country,

有條友去咗另一個國家，

says, "How fascinating these people are, how interesting their tools are,

佢話：“呢度啲人真係神奇，佢哋嘅架撐真係得意，

how curious their culture is."

距哋嘅文化好盞鬼。”

And then they write a paper, and maybe a few other anthropologists read it,

跟住佢地係張紙度寫咗啲也，或者咁啱有幾個人類學家睇度，

and we think it's very exotic.

我哋就會覺得呢單也靈舍有異國情調。

Well, what's happening

而同時發生嘅係我哋突然發現咗

is that we've suddenly found a new species.

一個新品種。

I, as a cyborg anthropologist, have suddenly said,

我，作為一個研究半機械人嘅人類學家，實會話：

"Oh, wow. Now suddenly we're a new form of Homo sapiens,

“哇，依家我哋突然間成為咗新新人類啦。

and look at these fascinating cultures,

過嚟睇下呢啲引人入勝嘅文化，

and look at these curious rituals

再睇下呢啲令人好奇嘅儀式，

that everybody's doing around this technology.

個個都圍繞呢項技術做嘢。

They're clicking on things and staring at screens."

佢哋一路點擊，一路望著個屏幕。”

Now there's a reason why I study this,

我之所以去研究呢樣也，

versus traditional anthropology.

而唔係傳統人類學係有原因嘅。

And the reason is that tool use,

因為工具嘅使用，

in the beginning -- for thousands and thousands of years,

係一開始，經過咗千萬年，

everything has been a physical modification of self.

所有也都係人類挪嚟改造自身。

It has helped us to extend our physical selves,

工具幫助我哋擴展自身嘅技能，

go faster, hit things harder,

令我哋跑得更快，錘嘢錘得更有力，

and there's been a limit on that.

雖然一切都有個限度。

But now what we're looking at is not an extension of the physical self,

但係依家我哋睇度嘅唔係人類自身技能嘅擴展，

but an extension of the mental self,

而係心智嘅延伸。

and because of that, we're able to travel faster,

由於咁，我哋可以走得更快，

communicate differently.

更多元化咁交流。

And the other thing that happens

第二件發生哽嘅嘢就係

is that we're all carrying around little Mary Poppins technology.

我哋都隨身攜帶住Mary Poppins嘅技術。

We can put anything we want into it, and it doesn't get heavier,

我地可以將任何野擺在我地想放噶任何地方，唔重咖，

and then we can take anything out.

然之後又可以從入面挪距出來。

What does the inside of your computer actually look like?

你台電腦入面究竟有啲咩呢？

Well, if you print it out, it looks like a thousand pounds of material

嗱，如果你將佢打印出嚟，就好似你要運輸

that you're carrying around all the time.

成千磅重嘅信息材料。

And if you actually lose that information,

而且，如果你真係唔見咗果啲信息，

it means that you suddenly have this loss in your mind,

你個心就會覺得突然之間冇咗一啲嘢，

that you suddenly feel like something's missing,

就好似突然之間感覺失去咗一啲嘢，

except you aren't able to see it, so it feels like a very strange emotion.

除非你無辦法見度呢啲嘢，距就好似D好奇怪噶感覺。

The other thing that happens is that you have a second self.

另外一件發生咗嘅嘢就係你擁有第二個自己。

Whether you like it or not, you're starting to show up online,

無論你鐘唔鍾意，你都開始係線上出現，

and people are interacting with your second self

當你唔係果度，

when you're not there.

人哋就開始同第二個你交流，

And so you have to be careful

咁你就要小心，

about leaving your front lawn open,

唔好輕易開放你嘅第一道防線，

which is basically your Facebook wall,

基本上嚟講就係你嘅Facebook，

so that people don't write on it in the middle of the night --

唔好比人哋係深夜係上面寫嘢，

because it's very much the equivalent.

因為呢個效果同現實生活係好大程度上係等價嘅。

And suddenly we have to start to maintain our second self.

所以突然之間，我哋開始維護第二個自己，

You have to present yourself in digital life

你不得不以一種你係現實中呈現嘅方式

in a similar way that you would in your analog life.

相似咁係數碼生活中呈現。

So, in the same way that you wake up, take a shower and get dressed,

就好似你起身，冲個涼，著衫，

you have to learn to do that for your digital self.

你一樣要學識係數碼生活中去做同樣嘅也。

And the problem is that a lot of people now,

不過問題在於家陣好多人，

especially adolescents,

尤其係青少年，

have to go through two adolescences.

需要經歷兩個青春期。

They have to go through their primary one, that's already awkward,

佢哋要經歷第一個青春期已經好唔容易，

and then they go through their second self's adolescence,

依家仲要經歷自己第二個青春期。

and that's even more awkward

咁就更加之難。

because there's an actual history

因為係呢個真實嘅網絡歷史入面

of what they've gone through online.

佢哋經歷都會被記錄。

And anybody coming in new to technology

依家每個啱開始接觸新科技嘅人，

is an adolescent online right now,

都係網上嘅青少年。

and so it's very awkward,

所以，要佢地去做果啲嘢

and it's very difficult for them to do those things.

係好奇怪同埋困難嘅。

So when I was little, my dad would sit me down at night and he would say,

係我好細個果陣，夜晚我老窦會叫我坐低跟住同我講：

"I'm going to teach you about time and space in the future."

“我要教你一樣關於未來時間同空間嘅嘢。”

And I said, "Great."

我話：“好啊！”

And he said one day, "What's the shortest distance between two points?"

有一日佢問我：“兩點之間最短嘅距離係咩？”

And I said, "Well, that's a straight line. You told me that yesterday."

我話：“哦，直線啰。你琴日係咁同我講嘅。”

I thought I was very clever.

我唸住我好醒目，

He said, "No, no, no. Here's a better way."

點知佢話：“唔啱，唔啱，呢個先係更短嘅路徑。”

He took a piece of paper,

佢挪咗一張紙，

drew A and B on one side and the other

係一面寫咗個A，另外一面寫咗個B，

and folded them together so where A and B touched.

跟住折埋兩邊令到A掂到B。

And he said, "That is the shortest distance between two points."

佢話：”呢個先系兩點之間最短嘅距離。“

And I said, "Dad, dad, dad, how do you do that?"

我跟住問：”老窦，老窦，老窦，你點做度嘎？“

He said, "Well, you just bend time and space,

佢話：“嗱，呢個先係兩點之間最短嘅距離，

it takes an awful lot of energy,

要用好多能量，

and that's just how you do it."

跟住就可以做到喇。”

And I said, "I want to do that."

我話：“我都想做到啊！”

And he said, "Well, okay."

佢話：“好啊！”

And so, when I went to sleep for the next 10 or 20 years,

跟住，係接落嚟呢10幾20年，每當我夜晚訓覺時

I was thinking at night,

我就會唸，

"I want to be the first person to create a wormhole,

“我一定會係第一個創造出“蟲洞”嘅人，

to make things accelerate faster.

令事物加速。

And I want to make a time machine."

我仲要製造一台時光機。”

I was always sending messages to my future self

我經常用錄音機嚟發信息

using tape recorders.

比未來嘅自己。

But then what I realized when I went to college

但係當我讀大學果陣，我意識到，

is that technology doesn't just get adopted

技術唔會因為佢有用

because it works.

而被人類接受，

It gets adopted because people use it

而係人類用過之後先會被接受。

and it's made for humans.

因為佢係為滿足人類所需而創造嘅。

So I started studying anthropology.

所以，我開始研究人類學。

And when I was writing my thesis on cell phones,

當我係度寫哽關於手機嘅論文時，

I realized that everyone was carrying around wormholes in their pockets.

我意識到每個人嘅口袋入面都隨身帶著個”蟲洞“。

They weren't physically transporting themselves;

呢個“蟲洞”唔係通過身體接觸嚟傳遞信息，

they were mentally transporting themselves.

而係從心智上傳遞。

They would click on a button,

人類點擊一下按鈕，

and they would be connected as A to B immediately.

跟住以A身份同B取得聯繫。

And I thought, "Oh, wow. I found it. This is great."

跟住我唸：“噢，哇，我穩到啦！真係太好啦！”

So over time, time and space

所以，隨住時間推移，時間同空間

have compressed because of this.

都因為咁而被壓縮埋一齊。

You can stand on one side of the world,

你可以企係地球嘅一邊，

whisper something and be heard on the other.

細細聲講嘢，而且可以比另外一邊嘅人聽到。

One of the other ideas that comes around

仲有就係，

is that you have a different type of time on every single device that you use.

你用嘅唔同設備可以比你擁有唔同類型嘅時間。

Every single browser tab gives you a different type of time.

每一個瀏覽標籤都比你一個唔同嘅時間軸。

And because of that, you start to dig around

而且因為咁，你開始到處發掘延伸嘅記憶，

for your external memories -- where did you leave them?

將佢哋收埋咗係邊呢？

So now we're all these paleontologists

所以話依家我哋都係古生物學家，

that are digging for things that we've lost

不停咁發掘我哋失去嘅嘢，

on our external brains that we're carrying around in our pockets.

我哋將外部大腦隨身帶係口袋入面。

And that incites a sort of panic architecture --

咁樣會促發一種恐慌。

"Oh no, where's this thing?"

弊，啲嘢究竟存咗係邊度？

We're all "I Love Lucy" on a great assembly line of information,

係信息狂潮嚟臨前，我哋都好似”我愛Lucy“電視入面演嘅咁狼狽，

and we can't keep up.

而且我哋冇辦法追得上信息嘅腳步。

And so what happens is,

由於咁，

when we bring all that into the social space,

我哋將所有嘢帶入到社交空間，

we end up checking our phones all the time.

結果就係我哋會不停咁查看電話。

So we have this thing called ambient intimacy.

呢個就係稱之為親密環境。

It's not that we're always connected to everybody,

咁樣唔係話我哋經常同每個人聯繫，

but at anytime we can connect to anyone we want.

而係話我哋可以隨時聯繫上我哋想聯繫嘅人。

And if you were able to print out everybody in your cell phone,

如果你可以將電話簿入面嘅人全部打印出嚟，

the room would be very crowded.

果間房就會變得非常壁，

These are the people that you have access to right now, in general --

一般嚟講呢哋就係你可以聯繫到嘅人

all of these people, all of your friends and family that you can connect to.

同埋同你保持聯繫嘅朋友，家人。

And so there are some psychological effects that happen with this.

隨之而嚟嘅係我哋會有一種心理效應。

One I'm really worried about

一種我好擔心嘅心理效應，

is that people aren't taking time for mental reflection anymore,

就係人類唔再花費時間嚟反省自己，

and that they aren't slowing down and stopping,

佢地唔再放慢節奏同埋停落嚟，

being around all those people in the room all the time

時刻同屋入面嘅人係埋一齊，

that are trying to compete for their attention

嘗試係同一時間內

on the simultaneous time interfaces,

獲得所有人嘅注意力，

paleontology and panic architecture.

同時活係研究 古生物學同埋面對恐慌嘅架構中。

They're not just sitting there.

佢地唔止係坐埋一齊咁簡單。

And really, when you have no external input,

講真果句，當你唔再受黎自外部嘅影響果陣，

that is a time when there is a creation of self,

你就有一段可以創造自我嘅時間，

when you can do long-term planning,

一段可以作長遠計劃嘅時間，

when you can try and figure out who you really are.

嘗試發覺究竟自己係點樣一個人。

And then, once you do that, you can figure out

而一旦你咁樣做，你就會搞清楚

how to present your second self in a legitimate way,

應該點樣合理咁呈現第二個自己，

instead of just dealing with everything as it comes in --

而唔係等所有嘢發生之後再臨時應對——

and oh, I have to do this, and I have to do this, and I have to do this.

哦，我要做呢個，我要做那個，我一定做呢個。

And so this is very important.

所以呢一點係非常重要嘅。

I'm really worried that, especially kids today,

我真係好擔心，尤其對依家嘅細路仔，

they're not going to be dealing with this down-time,

佢地冇靜低心嚟處理事情嘅時間，

that they have an instantaneous button-clicking culture,

因為佢地生活係一個不停點擊按鈕嘅文化中，

and that everything comes to them,

咩嘢都向佢地湧埋嚟，

and that they become very excited about it and very addicted to it.

佢地就會變得好興奮，甚至沉迷其中。

So if you think about it, the world hasn't stopped either.

你唸下，呢個世界都未試過停落嚟。

It has its own external prosthetic devices,

佢都有自己嘅外部修復設備，

and these devices are helping us all

而且呢啲設備都係度幫哽我哋

to communicate and interact with each other.

互相溝通同交流。

But when you actually visualize it,

如果你可以見度呢啲

all the connections that we're doing right now --

將我哋聯繫埋一齊嘅網路，

this is an image of the mapping of the Internet --

你會發覺呢個係一幅互聯網嘅地圖——

it doesn't look technological.

佢睇起身無乜技術含量；

It actually looks very organic.

不過事實上係有機化嘅。

This is the first time in the entire history of humanity

呢個係人類歷史上第一次

that we've connected in this way.

以咁樣嘅方式嚟連接每個人。

And it's not that machines are taking over.

而且唔係部機器係度話事，

It's that they're helping us to be more human,

而係佢幫我哽我哋變得更人性化，

helping us to connect with each other.

更好咁同每個人溝通。

The most successful technology gets out of the way

最成功嘅技術係幫我哋排除障礙，

and helps us live our lives.

幫助我哋生活得更美好。

And really,

確切嚟講，

it ends up being more human than technology,

機器令到我哋最後變得更人性化而非技術化，

because we're co-creating each other all the time.

因為我哋一路都係度互相合作，共同創造。

And so this is the important point that I like to study:

呢個就係我想研究嘅一個重點：

that things are beautiful, that it's still a human connection --

事物係美好嘅，不過依然需要人與人之間嘅聯繫；

it's just done in a different way.

只不過係以一種唔同嘅方式。

We're just increasing our humanness

我哋正係度增強自身嘅特性，

and our ability to connect with each other, regardless of geography.

聯繫彼此嘅能力，不受地域嘅限制。

So that's why I study cyborg anthropology.

呢個就係點解我要研究半機械人類學。

Thank you.

多謝噻！

(Applause)

（掌聲）