Mood-enhancing technology

Abstract

Digital technologies can influence the moods of their users. In some cases this is the technology's principal purpose; in others it is a commercially advantageous side-effect. HCI has long recognized the importance of the emotional response to technology: this is fundamental to the concept of user experience. But people sometimes use digital technology to manipulate mood: a phenomenon which is less explored by HCI. This paper argues that mood-enhancement is a significant motive for innovation and adoption, and proposes that HCI look to other disciplines for insight into why users manipulate mood and with what consequences. Anthropological research into drug use, for example, has found that mood enhancement is an important component of social and organizational life. The paper concludes that contemporary technology is making this social function more ubiquitously available. The paper's contribution is theoretical: proposing a new lens for understanding some human-computer interactions.