Interface and the state of the actor

The first layer of physical experience for the actor who is involved in mediated communication is the interface, and what this interface demands of the body. The classical computer interface, in which the body sits at a table in front of a screen, requires endurance in terms of remaining seated and the repetitive movements of the fingers over long periods of time, which may not be beneficial at all. Nevertheless, the time spent can be very exciting because the actor contextualizes and attributes all kinds of elements to the perceived mediated presence, which may also trigger physical reactions. For the sake of argument I will consider these physical reactions to be psychologically triggered, even when they occur in a social environment, and not a property of the mediated presence itself. The mediated communication can be switched on and off, the physical impact of this kind of clash between intention and realization in mediated communication is as profound as the psychological state of the actor allows. One could argue that to become involved in mediated communication a person needs to possess a sound psychological state. Otherwise he or she might experience profound confusions that may not be beneficial to his or her well-being at all. Thus there is firstly a physical clash, which is triggered by the interface of the technology, in which a collision between the needs of the mediated presence and the needs of the natural presence takes place. There is a possible second physical clash triggered by the psychological state of the actor when engaging in mediated presence.