In the future, could therapists be out of a job? This is a question that never would have been asked before the advent of smartphones. A recent article on the BBC talks about the pros and cons of apps that act as therapists, and how the industry is growing rapidly. There is more than a hundred apps tagged under "medical" and "depression" on the Apple App Store. Apart from being much cheaper than hiring an actual person to listen to you, your phone is always with you, a constant companion. This makes it a perfect object, one that you can pull out at any time to see your progress, or to ask advice.
One particular line in the article reminded me of Neuromancer; Hoa Ly, a clinical psychologist and founder of the Swedish startup Hoa's Toolshop, said "We are developing people, not just apps." This is a very interesting statement, as it really shows how the virtual and real world are colliding more and more, just as the character in William Gibson's novel lived on RAM. I would say this is perhaps even more significant than things like Siri and Google Now, for although those are very powerful tools, the fact that people could rely on their smartphones for their mental health is quite crazy. This far, studies haven't been conclusive on the effectiveness of these tools, yet there is much potential and a growing user base for this market.
No comments:
Post a Comment