The shape of digital content : a computing language based on Gibson's ecological approach to visual perception and the theory of shape grammars

Abstract

James J Gibson, a psychologist who wrote prolifically about his theories of visual perception argued there is a difference between direct information, that is the perception of the affordances in an environment, and indirect information, that is the information contained in signals and signs in a defined channel of communication. This thesis develops a framework based on this distinction proposed by Gibson to show how networked electronic devices are used both to communicate and to enable new modes of perceiving the environment. Based on my analysis I will argue that the framers of what is called "The Semantic Web" are primarily concerned with enabling communication of indirect information and this is preventing the development of more innovative interfaces that enable networked humans to directly perceive and interact with their environment in novel ways. I will then explain an alternative framework for describing what might called the "The Semantic Web" by relating Gibson's theories to the more formal theory of Shape Grammars developed by Professor of Design and Computation George Stiny. Stiny's work illustrates how the semantics of direct information, that is interacting with shapes as shapes, are very different from the semantics of indirect information, that is interacting with shapes as symbols. I will then describe a software demo I developed based on these arguments and explain how it is different from the Semantic Web as currently understood.