Mobile computing advances, not surprisingly, have insinuated themselves into all modalities of our mobile lives. In particular, technological implements in automobiles and roadway systems offer expanded functionality, but also have unintended consequences.
My specific interest right now is in the interior of automobiles, and how they have been transformed into social spaces. Arguably, the technology inside of a car, at the most functional level, is in the service of safe and effective operation of the vehicle. Driving is a task that requires significant cognitive attention, and the instrumentation inside the car assists in those cognitive tasks.
Yet, the car has become a place where we work, communicate, interact, expect to be engaged and entertained – emblematic of socialized spaces. Tasks related to these other expectations and activities provide competition for those valuable cognitive resources, and incur a higher probability of accidents. This line of research aims to take a critical look at the history of technological implementation in commercial vehicle interiors and correlate the introduction of non-driving essential technologies as optional and standard features with trends in roadway accident rates.
Further, the technology integrated into the vehicle is not the only issue at hand. Mobile and ubiquitous computing technologies – laptop computers, mp3 players, cell phones, etc. – are commonplace in our driving cultures now. What effects has the mobile technology boom had on our expectations of driving, and again, what effects have been seen in roadway safety?
At its core, this research is on the sociotechnical issues surrounding driving culture, and how the interior of the car, through IT and mobile/ubiquitous/pervasive computing development, has become a multi-faceted and socialized environment. There are a number of stories to be told in this space, obviously, and I am in the process of sorting out which ones will be the most fruitful. My inclination is toward examining the use of technology not designed to assist in the task of driving as being rooted in cultural conventions and personal rituals related to self-monitoring and self-regulation. What consequences have these behaviors and cultural shifts had on society, and what impacts have they had on traffic safety and mortality rates? What are the most appropriate remedies to problems created by these technologies and behaviors (i.e., Should we regulate? Redesign the technology? Redesign driving education? Shift incentive structures to change technology use behaviors and rituals?)
This research track is most likely the one to be developing into my dissertation. Any feedback or comments are most welcome.