Metaphorical Thinking – Introduction
Metaphorical Thinking – the Guest Metaphor
Metaphorical Thinking – the Cloud Metaphors
Metaphorical Thinking – the Web Metaphors
If you asked people in 1989 what they needed to make their life better, it was unlikely that they would have said a decentralized network of information nodes that are linked using hypertext.
The Internet is derived from the words “interconnection of networks”, thus a global network of networks. The Web or the World Wide Web is information accessed through the Internet. The Internet is the infrastructure, whereas the Web is a service provided via that infrastructure.
How can we better describe the distinction between the Internet and the Web? Using metaphors, of course.
An earlier metaphor of the Internet was the information superhighway.
Another metaphor for the Internet is the global village where everyone is connected, and we are brought closer together through cyberspace. However, the global village metaphor has its critics as this metaphor suggests the entire world is connected, ignoring the fact that a vast digital divide still prevents millions of people from accessing the Web through the Internet.
Then, we surf the Web.
The Internet can be up, online or down, offline.
Websites invoke static sites, plots, or areas on the Web. Nevertheless, we can describe websites by using the book metaphor (“bookmark a webpage“, “publish a site”) or the home metaphor (“go to the homepage”, “sign in as a guest“).
Forums are boards (“post on a forum”, “pin to a board”) and applications are vehicles (“run a program”, “the application crashed“).
Breadcrumb navigation is borrowed from Hansel and Gretel’s tale.
Blogging is a metaphor for online logging or an online diary (weblog). We can still find one of the first blogs here and the first webpage developed by Sir Tim Berners-Lee here.
In web security, firewalls are systems or walls that block viruses or pop-up ads, and paywalls are methods that restrict access to content via purchases or subscriptions. A computer virus is malicious software that infects a computer, replicating itself and spreading to other systems. Trojan Horse Virus, derived from the ancient Greek story of the wooden horse used to infiltrate Troy, describes malicious software that misleads users of its true intent.
Metaphors are crucial for good design. Some of us, versed in the emoji language, do not think twice about the metaphors hidden behind emojis and icons. We understand the meaning in a heartbeat because we know we do not literally take a pencil and start editing on our laptops, nor do we put our computers in the bin. We think in metaphors. However, for a large population, emojis are nothing short of modern hieroglyphs. Thus, designing icons and emojis by using well-known metaphors is vital.
- Settings – ⚙️
- New – ➕
- Edit – ✏️
- Save – 💾
- Delete – 🗑️or ❌
- Notifications – 🔔
- Search – 🔍
- Comment – 💬
Good metaphors are crucial to provide simple explanations for complicated questions or problems. However, as discussed previously, the challenge remains to ensure these metaphors evolve alongside our technologies.
Consider the save icon. This icon started with the image of a floppy disk or a hard drive, reflecting the primary storage mediums of that era. As technology evolved, the save icon transitioned to a cloud icon in some contexts to represent cloud-based storage solutions. Alongside or instead of icons, many modern applications, especially those with a more minimalist interface, use text buttons labeled “Save” or “Save As,” prioritizing clarity and directness over symbolism. In other applications, the traditional save icon is being replaced or supplemented with notifications that inform the user of automatic saving.
Web metaphors are not only meaningful by using comparisons but also practical by using real-life examples. Computer pioneer Grace Hopper coined the term “bug” for errors or glitches in a program. The story says that in 1946, operators traced an error in their computer to a moth trapped in a relay. They removed the moth and logged it as a cause for the program’s glitch.
Metaphors tend to jump from the offline to the online world as we sometimes don’t have the vocabulary to express new concepts. Software metaphors also jump from the digital world to our analog, concrete world.
Upload is not only the process of transferring data from one computer to another via a network. In the offline world, there is a TV series called Upload, where humans can “upload” themselves into a virtual setting.
The context-switching term was initially used in computing to describe how multitasking operation systems run multiple processes. When switching between applications, the computer stores the state of a process or thread, putting it on hold until we return to it. In this article, I write more about context-switching in modern life.
Another example of a technical metaphor we encounter in our life is the concept of asynchronous conversations. Asynchronous conversations involve a mindset shifting from synchronous conversations (we want such conversations to take place “right now”) to delayed or asynchronous conversations where the participants do not communicate instantaneously.
From desktops and files to clouds and streams, web metaphors have evolved, mirroring the technological leaps we have made. These metaphors do more than simplify complex digital concepts; they also evolve and adapt alongside our technological advances. This linguistic evolution plays a pivotal role in understanding and interacting with the digital world. The challenge ahead is to forge metaphors that are not only inclusive but also accessible to everyone.