Affordances

Affordances: 


As I have tried to come to terms with what 'affordances' is, from reading countless quotes from Gibson, Norman, Gaver I could present you with what the experts have to say, however your reading this because you want to hear from me and not the view of someone else... Im a simple person, so here is affordances in my own simple manner.

Affordances is the essence of our environment or an object that allows an individual to engage in an action, which results in any given action leading to further activity and so on.

"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction"... DONT PANIC... I am not about to rant about Newtons Law of Physics, however have you ever applied the laws to our everyday lives?

Applying this to Affordances is straightforward, take an action like cooking for example, the reaction to this is followed by eating. Affordances is essentially built up of certain attributes such as communication spirituality etc, it is from these which outcomes occur. So partying you say, what could the possibilities of affordances be?

The number one affordances which partying or celebrating brings an individual I believe, is communication, which creates social interaction. Speeches offer a great element to many parties, such as, weddings, 21st's, and farewell's. Speeches enhance communication through their stories, by capturing an audience no matter the size, and by promoting similarity within a group of strangers. Partying offers an affordances of communication, and from this a domino affect occurs through further relationships being established, memories being formed; to have them linger in our minds and recap on for varies circumstances. Communication prolongs the 'party'.

Humans I feel gravitate towards ritualistic behavior, for example over half the population celebrate their birthdays, new years eve, and weddings; to name a few. Countries all celebrate there own personal identity, New Zealand has Waitangi day, Australia has 'Australia day' and America has Independence day. Whether it is a wedding or your countries day, these celebrations can all be categorised into the same theme; Rituals. Rituals have occurred for hundreds of years, it is from these which humans began celebrating 'parites''. A party which is centered around giving special awareness to the particular affordance of history.

Although the term spirituality can refer to the connection to the universe through our activities, it also has a deeper explanation by providing meaning and purpose for an individual through their environment. I don't perceive myself as a very spiritual person by any means, especially in the sense towards the universe. However as I reflect on past experiences of my own 'partying', I am able to relate the connection. As I have stated preciously, there is more to 'partying' than just too many drinks, I am spiritually connected to the environment while 'partying'. For me the environment is a huge part to a successful party. I begin associating the environment with positive or negative feelings depending on my experience.

I am well aware of the number of cultures which through their history have developed spirituality within their parties. An area which I will go into more depth during my final writeup.

Aesthetics is the way an individual expresses a sense of beauty relating to the an activity. Call me shallow, however what I attach the word 'beauty' to, is the way in which something looks. Santayana (2003) states beauty can be defined as a characteristic of person, animal, place, object. Santayana expands by discussing beauty can connect, with the idea that provides a perceptual satisfaction. It is thanks to George Santayana that I am able to relate 'partying' with Aesthetics. With the knowledge of beauty embedded in my thoughts I am drifting towards 21st, and wedding speeches. Speeches are an expression of the truth, they primarily discuss the good within a person. Two factors which Santayana explains beauty as. I also believe many cultures use dance during parities, a dance which relates beauty within the culture. For many bystanders the dance would not hold any connection and beauty to, however it the perception from those involved within the culture which understand its true meaning and background.


Life in itself is its own affordances. From the moment we are born, until the moment we pass away, our life's have been established through our celebrations and parties. So is it not fair to suggest that from our first party, as individuals we then begin experiencing affordances' from one party to another, each affordances creating a timeline of history.

From the makeup of Ergonmics and affordances comes Ambience, personally I just like saying the word.( Haha moving on). I have explained that ergonomics is the way in which we analyze what goes into an activity, the so called fit in relation to person, environment and activity, while affordances is the outcome to which an activity brings. Ambience is the whole activity, the spirit or nature that an activity portrays. Different parties present a different nature or spirt. For example a wedding or 21st or hens party will all be associated with  excitement or happiness, where as a farewell could be sad and unhappy. Within each party music plays a huge role in creating ambience. The ambience for which guests feel when the bride walks towards her groom is something that does not need words to describe but merely the way in which music notes in the air can bring such raw emotions out. Ambience is linked towards the 'atmosphere' and the effect is brings to the activity, is this a positive or negative experience for example. Every party is different, so many variables which can affect the overall ambience.