Alex Soojung-Kim Pang: Contemplative Computing [EN]

Information technologies today interrupt and distract us, dividing our attention across a range of activities and devices. This feels like an inevitable state of affairs, but I argue in this talk that it is not. Drawing on recent work in embodied cognition, contemplative practices, and interface design, I will describe how we can create and use information technologies in a more thoughtful, meditative way, to help us work in a more sustained, creative and focused manner. I then explain what contemplative computing might mean for individuals as well as corporations, institutions and civic actors.