Phase 1, Post 3: Intersection of Technology and Salient Identity

For this exercise, Shehara was my partner, putting forward Augmented Reality as a technology and her age as a salient social identity because of that odd "in-between" of being 20.

 While it is a different age group, How Augmented Reality Can Assist Aging Adults by Taylor Mitchell talks about how this technology can aid the elderly.  While so far AR has mostly been used as an attraction for casual mobile games and apps, this article points out that those with neurodegenerative diseases can benefit from having a mixed reality environment that would provide them with necessary reminders.  Mitchell points out the ease of the user experience of this technology, citing this as another reason it would appeal to the elderly.

 The common uses of augmented reality and the possible use proposed here reminded me think of how infomercial products are criticized for only being useful in outlandish situations when in fact most of these products are meant for people with disabilities.  For instance, the Snuggie (a blanket fixed with sleeves) was intended to keep wheelchair users warm while allowing them to remain active and mobile.  This thinking demonstrates there is a common assumption that everything is made for ourselves, or that everything is made for everybody.  It is an important reminder to consider the uses of something that isn't useful to you.

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