Cultural Computing – How to Investigate a Form of Unconscious User Experiences in Mixed Realities

Abstract

Abstract. This paper presents a new direction of research in user experiences and cognitive science. The problem addressed is drawing on results from different disciplines: psychology, brain and cognitive sciences, physics, and interaction design. As main objective we plan the empirical validation of the claim: Cultural computing as enabling technology for social transformations. Cultural computing is based on a form of cultural translation that uses scientific methods to capture and represent essential aspects of a particular culture. Cultural computing will enable particular cognitive and emotional responses from users as reflections on and of their inner, subliminal consciousness. Cultural computing is not only integrating cultural aspects into the interaction but also allowing the user to experience an interaction that is closely related to the core aspects of his/her own culture. As such it is important to understand one's cultural determinants and how to render them during the interaction. We will address individually and collectively the cultural determinants of the Western culture. Based on the given narrative 'Alice Adventures in Wonderland' we have already built the first demo version and plan to build an optimized version of a mixed reality installation to provide and investigate cultural user experiences. To address the research questions we propose three main research lines: (1) designing a mixed reality environment to provide certain unconscious user experiences; (2) inducing and measuring the changes in the individual's unconscious knowledge structure; and (3) empirical validation of a fundamentally new synchronization mechanism for sharing individual changes collectively. We hypothesize that there eventually exists an interconnecting knowledge field at the foundation of reality that conserves and conveys information collectively. This knowledge field looks like a possible candidate for a required 'supra-natural' memory for cultural knowledge to tap into for social transformations.

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