ABSTRACT
Technology is the active human interface with the material world. But the word is consistently misused to mean only the enormously complex and specialised technologies of the past few decades. It is sometimes tempting to talk about the ‘invention’ of language, and discuss language as if it were a tool or technology itself. Language is a key feature that allows us to socially interact with other humans. Language may not be the only evolved social behaviour whose purpose relates to group cohesion. Laughter and jokes may act as a bonding exercise, a ‘chorusing’ behaviour that releases endorphins, especially when it occurs as part of a group. Some critical technology is useful for reducing cognitive load, rather than giving direct benefits; adapting the functionality of our minds rather than our bodies. Digital public space may be the basis of a new technological revolution because of its function as a distributed cognitive engine for ‘extelligence’, the repository of total human information.
