Difference between revisions of "Cake-Mix Effect"

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At the ever-accelerating pace of obsolescence the ability to mechanize and automate complex processes often cuts out a "middle-man" which society still believes is in possession of value.  In this process, the desire to preserve cultural heritage and social networks haults technological progress and maintains steps in a sequence that might from other perspectives seem inefficient.  A perfect example is that of the cake mix itself, which simplifies the process of baking, yet maintains certain baking tasks in order to preserve a distilled baking experience.  Important questions to be asked: Does the medium maintain a sequence in its operation that is inefficient?  Might the users of this artifact have benefitted from the preservation of certain practices rather than see them entirely replaced by the machine?
 
At the ever-accelerating pace of obsolescence the ability to mechanize and automate complex processes often cuts out a "middle-man" which society still believes is in possession of value.  In this process, the desire to preserve cultural heritage and social networks haults technological progress and maintains steps in a sequence that might from other perspectives seem inefficient.  A perfect example is that of the cake mix itself, which simplifies the process of baking, yet maintains certain baking tasks in order to preserve a distilled baking experience.  Important questions to be asked: Does the medium maintain a sequence in its operation that is inefficient?  Might the users of this artifact have benefitted from the preservation of certain practices rather than see them entirely replaced by the machine?
  
[[Category:Dossier]]
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[[Category:Critical technique]]

Revision as of 23:58, 7 April 2010

At the ever-accelerating pace of obsolescence the ability to mechanize and automate complex processes often cuts out a "middle-man" which society still believes is in possession of value. In this process, the desire to preserve cultural heritage and social networks haults technological progress and maintains steps in a sequence that might from other perspectives seem inefficient. A perfect example is that of the cake mix itself, which simplifies the process of baking, yet maintains certain baking tasks in order to preserve a distilled baking experience. Important questions to be asked: Does the medium maintain a sequence in its operation that is inefficient? Might the users of this artifact have benefitted from the preservation of certain practices rather than see them entirely replaced by the machine?