ABSTRACT
Objects and communications mediate person-to-object and even person-toperson relationships. As Philippe Gauthier notes: “objects often play an important part in the persistence or breakdown of the social bond. In short, because its definition guarantees particular interests, the object can manifest itself as either the bearer of well-being or as a vector for discord” (Gauthier 1999:42). There are many objects that have been found retrospectively to alter person-to-person relationships. Today, for example, the influence of the computer on K-12 learning needs to be questioned for the role it plays to foster independence or technical dependence, depending on one’s point of view, and how it alters the role of the teacher in the classroom.
