Speak More Slowly! Developing better community awareness through localized reflective media systems

Introduction Recent advances in networking and communication technology have enmeshed us in a richly mediated and informative world, transforming the nature of our everyday interactions into a physical-digital hybrid experience. At the heart of this development is the lightning-fast transmission, reception and transformation of digital information. While previous generations encountered a ʻcult of speedʼ owing to such diverse developments as the proliferation of the pocket-watch, the emergence of the automobile and the introduction of efficient factory floor time management, today our experience of continuous, rapid connectivity and communication is allencompassing and prevalent (Kern, 2003). In this age of great rapidity, McLuhan's "global village" (McLuhan & Lapham, 1994) has become more of a "global living room”, with information of all forms dispersed to and retrieved in our homes on a constant basis. Our televisions, personal computers, and smart phones clamor for our attention, beckoning us with the opportunity for connection and interaction. While the rapidity of our communications may have enhanced our efficiency, it has also introduced a dense complexity to our everyday lives. As experts on humanmachine interaction with the power to shape this increasingly important aspect of people's lives, designers have a unique opportunity and duty to analyze, understand and support the factors contributing to informational complexity.