Left to our own devices: Technology is not just fallible but unpredictable

As I try and consult horoscopes and seek to get my digital karma in order — I might be kind to somebody on Twitter today; or maybe say something nice to a troll; should I just send an anonymous gift to a stranger, or do some volunteer editing on Wikipedia? — I do wonder what it means to be living with neurotic machines. However, anybody who remembers the world before the “cloud” took over, will remind me that our devices have always been restless.

I remember the ritual of connecting on a dial-up modem, where one prayed to any passing gods, started the connection on the modem and then waited for the sound of the “handshake” that signalled that connection has been established. After repeated tries, when the server finally acknowledged our presence, you greedily opened the browser, typed in a URL and then went to the kitchen. Then you made tea, finished some errands and went to the computer screen only to see half a page loaded, and the connection dropped. All kinds of bizarre tips emerged on what might make a connection faster and sustainable — I had a friend who was convinced that if you wrap your modem wire around a firm base, it establishes a stronger connection. Another one had argued that giving the CPU a slight whack, showing it who is in charge, helped.

So quickly has the landscape changed with ubiquitous computing and pervasive connectivity, that we have forgotten those days when technology was not only mystical but also completely unpredictable. As we get used to living with predictive algorithms that determine what we shall buy tomorrow and what movie we will like, we have invested our faith in the idea that the digital is completely at our disposal and that all actions have rational computational responses. But once in a while, when the digital delirium sets in, it does make us wonder, if the machines are restless. Should one cajole the devices back to equilibrium? Or would a stern talking to work? Should we let them know that we are on to them? As I write this on my laptop, I am suddenly afraid that it might not approve, and head in for a crash, deleting this column and everything else. Maybe once I am done writing, I shall go and buy it the digital equivalent of a beer. Just to let it know that we are all good here.