The Memex is a concept created by Vannevar Bush, which is acknowledged as one of the first conceptualisations of modern computational devices. The Memex worked by creating trails through word/theme associations within files/documents.
If This, Then That (IFTTT) is a piece of software (available as an app or web-based program) which forms connections between different social media platforms, e-commerce platforms or smart-objects. The philosophy behind IFTTT is similar to the network of association imagined with the Memex. However, instead of using trails to find information, IFTTT uses connections (trails?) to effect some form of action from a program.
By connecting IFTTT to various accounts such as Google, Twitter, Instagram, Amazon and many others, the platform allows you to trigger chain reactions across the platforms. For example, one could set up a trigger so that whenever you post a photograph on Instagram, your email account sends this photograph to a certain list of contacts.
You can use IFTTT on either a computer or smartphone:
Within the program, you can log in to accounts such as Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and many other accounts from Smart Home devices to mobile banking accounts.
Once you have connected your accounts to IFTTT you can set up a trigger. The trigger follows the logic of If This, Then That. Put simply, if one things happens (a trigger), then IFTTT will automatically effect an action from another service.
For example, I could set a trigger so that when I post to Twitter (If This), IFTTT will automatically share the Tweet in an email (Then That). This is a very simple example of what the platform can do.
I explored some more interesting cases of things that you can achieve with IFTTT:
I find it interesting that original concepts for computational devices were that of devices designed to solve problems or store information (databases and calculators, simply). However, the fact that modern technology allows users to effect changes between apps, across platforms, across different devices in different locations is fascinating. IFTTT provides an interesting case for exploring the dynamic between augmentation and automation. Does the platform extend a user’s ability to achieve outcomes with technology, or does it remove the need for the user entirely? At what point does the user disappear? Social media has been the modern battleground for conversation on the performance of identity. What happens when IFTTT automatically posts to our social media channels, and builds an identity for us?
Resources:
Digital Media: Theory and Critique 