Unsocial Robots: How Western Culture Dooms Consumer Social Robots to a Society of One

Abstract

Markus and Kitayama suggests Western centric culture has a bias to the independent rather than the interdependence self. We argue that this has resulted in a bias for social robots to be assistants, companions, wing-men and one-to-one carers. Thus, the social in most commercial social robots is a simulated social interaction with a single user, an echo chamber of unnecessary interaction that inevitability creates systems that obstruct social interaction rather than encourage it. The resulting robot flunkies, yes-men and pretend friends have little long term utility. In contrast, we argue that rather it is as mediators, facilitators and working within human communities and groups that offers the real opportunity for social robots.