Hospitable not “User-friendly”

Having your technology be hospitable is not just another way of saying "user-friendly." There is no exchange, no sharing in a "user-friendly" relationship; it is always one-way. Hospitality is human-centered, not technology-centered. It involves a host and a guest and an exchange. We have come to learn that this exchange takes place over time and, while it may be facilitated by technology, made possible and seemingly “quick,” the exchange is not necessarily enhanced by virtue of taking place in cyberspace.

The use and understanding of technology as “user-friendly” implies that we have the right and ability to, in every case, make technology fit our needs – to become what we believe we want it to be for us. The real magic of the Sharing Cultures Project has had to do with the ways that challenges have shown us how to readjust our own perspectives – of technology as well as each other.