Shortcut technologies

Building on the logic of acceleration and availability (→ technological resonance), the term 'shortcut technologies' can be introduced.

It is not yet an established scientific term. The term shortcut technology precisely describes a class of tools or technological processes whose primary goal is to abbreviate, bypass, or automate established—often time-consuming or labor-intensive—(learning) processes.

The promise: to achieve a desired result faster and with less effort than traditional methods.

The range of such technologies extends from simple keyboard combinations ('keyboard shortcuts') and software automations to AI-supported systems that take on complex analysis or creative processes. The impact of shortcut technologies is shown by the assumption of a hypothetical scenario that does not sound entirely far-fetched.

Due to the conditioning that there is a pill for everything, the Dutch neurobiologist Brankele Frank recently brought up the discussion:

If we could manufacture a pill that offers all the cognitive and emotional benefits of music lessons, many parents would give it to their children every morning.

This also justifies itself with the example of learning a musical instrument, as it involves overcoming an invisible boundary with the help of technology (→ medication).

Learning or mastering a musical instrument is still perceived as a privilege and almost elitist. However, those who shy away from the effort imagine they can bypass the struggles with the shortcut technology of a pill. This example can be extended to much that relates to digital culture. Students already argue why they should learn something if it can all be researched on the internet in seconds.

The allure of shortcut technologies lies in their efficiency and the apparent democratization of skills and results. They seamlessly fit into Hartmut Rosa's 'Triple-A Approach' (→ technological resonance) by making things available, accessible, and achievable—and faster than ever. However, therein lies their ambivalence: They threaten to eclipse those moments that are central to resonance experiences—the engagement with the process, the effort, the endurance of uncertainty, personal development, and the transformation of oneself in the execution of a practice.

Thus, shortcut technologies pose the risk of cultural reductionism. The journey is sacrificed for the goal, and with it often disappears the deeper meaning or transformative character of an action. What remains is the outcome—but without the experience that imbues it with meaning.

Language models as an example of shortcut technology

Average users, the 'realists,' differ from early adopters. Not every innovation catches on, as Second Life, Segway, or Google Glass show—even if some were ahead of their times.

The early adoption of technology by realists increases with the degree of a culture of digitality.

While it took radio 9 years to reach 50 million users, the iPod did so in 9 months. Felix Stalder explains that digital technologies take hold where 'need for them already existed' and 'are connected with certain cultural practices.' New technologies move 'from the periphery to the center,' enabled by a structural change in society. Thus, shortcut technologies encounter an already adapted → cultural practice.

Therefore, it was a combination of positive vision and pressure that motivated a wide variety of actors, with sometimes considerable effort, to change their previous behavior, the established processes, and grown institutions.

In the culture of digitality, there is already a cultural framework for early technology adoption.