Several weeks ago, David Strohecker wrote a post about Tattoos and the Augmented body.  In a response to this post, Ned Drummond wrote a thought provoking comment, in which she differentiates between “active” and “passive” cyborgs. I think this is an interesting distinction that deserves fleshing out.  A deeper exploration of this distinction will be fruitful in pushing the theoretical boundaries of of what it means to be a cyborg—or an inhabitant of augmented reality.

The first thing to acknowledge is that “active” and “passive” are necessarily fluid states, rather than hard dichotomies. This is something Ned and I fleshed out in the comments section of the above mentioned post. Specifically, I said:

I would venture to say that active and passive use of technology probably ranges on a continuum, and individual cyborgs are more or less active/passive in different moments.

I would add to this that individual cyborgs can be simultaneously active and passive—actively using one technology while passively using another, or even actively using one part of a technology while passively using another part.

Before I can offer examples of the activity/inactivity continuum, I must offer a definition of active and passive interaction with technology. When Ned wrote about it, the distinction hinged on rule following. Those who use a technology for its intended purpose(s) are more passive, while those who use a technology in unintended ways are more active.

Let us use this blog as an example. Here we have a web space with the stated intention to create a dialogue about the enmeshment of atoms and bits. This space is available to anyone who has internet access, and the architecture of the site allows visitors to read posts, follow links, subscribe, and contribute through comments and tweets. Technically, this space could be used for a variety of purposes, most of which are not in line with the intentions of those who create and maintain the site. We could therefore say that writing about theoretical and empirical issues surrounding cyborgs and augmented reality is a passive use of this technology, while utilizing this forum to share personal news, make social plans, or try to find dates, is an active use of this technology.

At first glance, this definition seems fitting. Upon further examination, however, we run into problems. In particular, I would argue that using technologies for their intended purpose(s) is not necessarily a passive endeavor. On the contrary, one might be quite purposeful in their adherence to a technology’s intended use. Keeping with the example of this blog, many of us choose to write about cyborgs/ augmented reality instead of our weekend plans, and we do so for the purpose of maintaining a space in which dialogs about the enmeshment of atoms and bits can flourish. We recognize that structures are only maintained through actors, and so we actively gear our actions towards maintenance rather than de(con)struction. At the same time, it might simply not occur to us that we can use this space for anything other than cyborgology related conversations. In such cases, we do indeed passively interact with the technology.

What this means, is that the same (inter)action with/towards technology does not always hold the same meanings. Two bloggers might talk only about cyborgs and augmented reality; however, one will do so in an active attempt to maintain the integrity of the space, while the other may do so under the assumption that there is no choice except to talk about these topics within this particular structure/architecture.  I therefore argue that the continuum of activity and passivity  hinges not on rule following, nor on particular actions, but rather, on the intentionality of the actor.

Another example can be seen in Facebook usernames. Facebook intends to be  a space that creates and maintains open connections. In line with this, users are expected to provide their real names to facilitate a network search for their respective profiles. Some people follow this “true name” rule, while others do not. Those who do not share their real names clearly use Facebook in a more “active” way. However, those who do follow the “true name” rule are not necessarily less active. While some who reveal their real names do so only because they were prompted to when creating their accounts, others use their real names in an active attempt to maintain the open community which the Facebook team promotes.

In sum, activity and passivity are located upon a continuum. All cyborgs are both active and passive, and vary in their activity/ passivity in different moments and when interacting with different technologies—sometimes engaging in multiple levels of activity/ passivity simultaneously. Location upon the continuum is based not upon rule following or even the (inter)activity itself, but upon the intentionality of the cyborg.