Affective Scaffolding to Mediate the Use of Emergent Technology

Abstract

Technology is reshaping the micro-ecologies of developing, becoming a part of it. It impacts and enables reconfiguration of social interaction in everyday situations. The study aims to bring a macro and micro discussion about close interconnection with complex technology and how these interactions have reciprocal implications between materiality and subjectivity. The broad research question is: How do we deal and interact with daily increasingly complex technology? A theoretical perspective is outlined about the subject and object relationship, focusing on new technology in the baby day living. One key point stressed in this paper is the affective scaffolding that could be a key point for social mediation with technology. To support the reflection, some illustrative examples are proposed from a naturalistic observation. In particular, the study focus on one 1-years old baby interacting with a smartphone and a robot toy. A final discussion is proposed to discuss the material and subjective dialectic interactions.