Language of interaction

Can interaction be thought of in terms of a language?

Objects/nouns are the physical objects, interface elements, and multi-sensory aesthetics of a system (visual, auditory, etc)

  • Hyperobjects are “things that are massively distributed, very large relative to humans, whether directly manufactured by humans or not” (Morton, 2013)

Verbs are the interactions, game mechanics, and affordances of a system. Verbs multiply the possibility of interaction

Adjectives are are the feelings and moods that arise out of the verbs and objects

  • Perhaps a Hyperadjective could be a collection of feelings and adjectives spread across many people? E.g. Culture, aesthetic movements (e.g. minimalism), genres

Bodies are the pronouns of interaction, whether figma cursors, game avatars, google doc carets, or your body in physical space.

Grammar is the arrangement of objects, verbs and adjectives over time?

See also:

References

Morton, T. (2013). Hyperobjects: Philosophy and Ecology after the End of the World. University of Minnesota Press.

Links to this note

Vocabulary of computer interaction may still be nascent

Computer have a Language of interaction⁠—clicking, scrolling, dragging, typing are some of the core "verbs" in the proto-language that is digital interfaces. However these are just the building blocks upon which more complex words and structures of interaction can evolve.