Abstract | The things have woken up: Everyday objects that were formerly passive have started to communicate. Driverless cars have started to enter the streets; besides phones, also glasses and watches have become "smart"; and toothbrushes leak our dental hygiene habits to our dentist. The Internet of Things is becoming real. Having noticed a certain discontent with the new smartness of things, this chapter is looking at the agency of technical objects rereading Martin Heidegger's take on "things", Bruno Latour's take on "nonhumans" and Gilbert Simondon's take on "technical objects" to find a surprising conclusion: It is not that the smart objects takes over human agency, but that too many humans with diverging interests inhabit one and the same technical object. |
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