Essay
What does ‘being human’ mean, in an era where
technology is rapidly becoming more humanised?
Do brands have an ethical duty to help people be more
human in every moment of their day? Can technology
enable brands to communicate in a humanised way?
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY BEING
‘HUMAN’?
Psychologists believe that ‘self-determination’ is the
ability within each person to make individual choices
and, consequently, determine their own life. Not only
does this ability have the power to make people believe
that they have control over their choices but it also has
an impact on their motivation, spurring them to take
act ion when the y’re sure it w i l l have an ef fect or outcome.
This ‘Self-Determination Theory’ was born out of the
1985 book Self-determination and Intrinsic Motivation in
Human Behaviour by psychologists Edward Deci and
Richard Ryan.
Within this theory was the idea that people were driven
by a need to g row and that this w as derived through t wo
key premises: that the need for growth drives behaviour
(people unconsciously are directed by growth, be that
learning new skills or new experiences) and that
autonomous motivation – the need to gain knowledge
or independence – is a primary motivation, rather than
seeking financial gains or reward.
Deci and Ryan also laid out what they believe people
needed to feel to be more human:Autonomy – when it comes to their behaviour and
motivation, people need to feel like they’re in control.
As such, the y need to be able to make thei r ow n decisions,
which ultimately enables them to feel self-determined.
Competence – humans w ant to lear n; we w ant to de velop
new skills, master specific tasks and experience more
achievements. When we believe that we have the tools
needed to be able to achieve success, we’re more likely
to take action.
Relatability – attachment is paramount; people need to
feel a sense of belonging to other people.HOW DO HUMANS INTERACT WITH
THE TECH WE BUILD?
Marketing is often focused on quantifiable, data patterns
of behaviour, as well as rough measures of sentiment.
This rarely takes into consideration what aspects of
‘humanness’ matter most and how that can play out
within a marketing strategy. While considering what
layers should be added to a brand’s marketing to enhanceCAN TECHNOLOGY MAKE
PEOPLE MORE HUMAN?
Illustration by Kym WintersHUMANISED TECHNOLOGYJonathan Whiteside looks at the methods devs use to humanise
technology and asks whether that technology can make us feel
more human in return