Not just what it seems

Most of us, if not everyone on the web, has incurred into these image verification forms (see below). Captcha allow website owners to avoid being spammed by bots. This makes sign-in and contact forms more secure and spam-proof.

Behind the idea of this tool is the fact that humans are (still!) better able at decoding distorted text than computers. Yes!, in the digital age, our brain is spending only an average of 10 seconds on each of these forms to decode some words that machines are unable to read correctly. I must admit I had to spend more than 10 seconds a couple of times, and actually clicked on the button that regenerated new distorted words. Nonetheless, in general we’re very good at it, me included!

But there is another very interesting aspect of this tool that I want to write about. ReCaptcha is a service that uses such forms to facilitate the digitalization of books, newspapers, and even old radio programs. The next time we’re filling in the words, we’re probably not only demonstrating we’re not spammers or bots, but we’re also providing our help for something totally unrelated to spam prevention.

I was surprised to read about this. It strikes me at least in three ways. First, the fact that we can be totally unaware of the various implications when we’re using a service. Second, that we really have an incredible ability to adapt tools to very diverse objectives. Finally, while the first point seems to indicate an individual unconsciousness, we can actually be part of a collective consciousness: the community effort towards the digitalization of information and knowledge.

Nothing is just what it seems. When we think we know something, we still miss important parts of it. When we see a tool and service as it is typically described, we miss opportunities for transforming it and adapting it, that is, chances to innovate.

But, when we dig deeper and adopt a wider perspective, then we are able to become more conscious of how and when we can contribute to collective objectives with our creativity and our individual skills. I don’t know about you, but I’ll be a lot happier and more engaged next time I fill in one of these forms!

#mind #bias #perception