Being empathetic with technology? Pardon?

"I always saw ChatGPT as something technological and did not use it that much. You see it exactly as a 'human' with whom you build interactions... now that I saw and heard this from you, my view on A.I. has completely changed. I want to get started with it right away"

"Dad, since you told me I can also see the car as my partner: the better I understand how she works, the better I can handle her", shifting, steering and coordinating movements suddenly goes much better..."

"I have been fighting with this all morning, you come along and suddenly it all works...."

The importance of empathy

These are three pieces of feedback that at first glance have nothing to do with each other. Nothing could be further from the truth. They can be traced back to our capacity for empathy, which we can also apply to technology. For many people, this is a discovery and even a revelation with surprisingly positive consequences. For me, it has always been a kind of second nature. A coffee maker, a computer, a car, a bicycle, .... You name it, I always spontaneously imagine how they work and how I can best 'address' or control them.

What is empathy?

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings, thoughts and experiences of others. It goes beyond sympathy, which is simply compassion; empathy requires a deeper, more personal understanding of what someone is going through.

Empathy between people can be divided into three main categories. I also recognise them when it comes to technology:

Cognitive empathy: This is the ability to understand what someone else is thinking or feeling. It involves the intellectual aspect of empathy, where you are aware of the other person's perspective without necessarily being emotionally involved.

àI like to know how things work, without being emotionally involved, so that I can use them better

Emotional empathy: This is the ability to actually feel the emotions of others. When someone is sad, you feel their pain as if it were your own pain. This form of empathy creates an emotional connection with others.

à When I hear the gears of the gearbox grinding while shifting gears, I get an uncomfortable feeling that I also experience when I see someone getting hurt.

Compassionate empathy (or empathetic concern): This is not only understanding and feeling the emotions of others, but also the desire to help them. It combines cognitive and emotional empathy with an action-oriented approach.

à This may explain why technology that often fails for people around me suddenly works well when I touch it for just a moment, a kind of 'law of attraction'

Empathy and technology: what science says about this

Extensive research has already been done on what I am telling and experiencing here. That research is mainly done on the side of the manufacturers. They want to anthropomorphise their services as much as possible where possible to give users the feeling that they are working with a human, rather than with a thing. Research in the field of HTI (Human-Technology Interaction) suggests that people sometimes treat technologies as if they have human characteristics. This concept, known as the "media equation," states that people apply the same social rules to technologies as to human interactions. Reeves and Nass introduced the idea in their book "The Media Equation: How People Treat Computers, Television, and New Media Like Real People and Places". The book extensively describes experiments that support this theory.

I can only confirm that it works positively when you approach the tools you use from that perspective. I experience an almost total absence of technological stress and experience it as quite natural to embrace new technology. Research published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking shows that empathetic interfaces can reduce technostress and improve the acceptance of new technologies. So it works the other way around too.

With an empathetic mindset, the adoption and pleasure of using technology also increases. I experience this myself with driving, the use of AI, and even when I mow the grass in my much too large garden.

Concrete next steps

To experience the positive impact of empathy on your interactions with technology, you can apply these three practical tips immediately:

See Technology as a Partner: Treat your technological devices and programmes as if they are partners in your daily tasks. Understand their possibilities and limitations, and work together with them as you would with a colleague. This perspective can help to reduce frustration and develop a more harmonious relationship with technology.
Anthropomorphise your Interactions: Try to imagine that technology has human characteristics. This does not mean that you literally think your phone is a person, but by visualising that technology works with human qualities, you can react more empathetically. For example, remember that your voice assistant has your best intentions at heart and deserves patience, just like a real person.
Reflect on your Technology Use: Regularly take the time to reflect on how you use technology and how it affects your emotions. Ask yourself if you feel frustrated or overwhelmed, and try to understand the causes of this. Through this reflection, you can deal with technology more consciously and empathetically, which ultimately leads to a more satisfying and stress-free user experience.

By following these simple steps, you can not only improve your relationship with technology, but also make your daily interactions smoother and more pleasant. Empathy is not only reserved for human relationships; it is also a powerful tool to get the best out of the technology you use every day.

By Hans Demeyer