Computers are Social Actors

Response
Student’s Name
University
Course
Professor
Date
Response
The “computers are social actors” paradigm, as outlined by Reeves and Nas, is that users tend to apply social rules when interacting with electronic devices like computers. Mobile devices are social actors that individuals respond to with the same polite behaviors that they accord to fellow humans (Reeves & Nass, 1996). This means that users tend to assume that computers have a personality even though they are aware that computers are simply machines which do not have genders, feelings, or a character. The paradigm aligns with my personal experiences with computers since I often think that a computer can be comparable to a real person, even if it is a machine. For example, when I use artificial intelligence software that responds, I often forget that I am interacting with a machine. Sometimes the computer can affect my emotions, such as feeling happy or even sad, depending on the nature of the interactions. This paradigm compares to the Apparatgeist understanding of users treating devices socially since the Apparatgeist view suggest that computers have the power to influence people while freeing them from t...