SYNAPSE: A Sociotechnical Taxonomy of Bioadaptive Media

Paper Title

SYNAPSE: A Sociotechnical Taxonomy of Bioadaptive Media

Publication Info

• Topic area: Sociotechnical analysis of bioadaptive media systems
• Keywords: Bioadaptive media, biocybernetic loop, sociotechnical taxonomy, user agency, feedback logic, system objectives, affective computing, perceptual infrastructures, critical HCI, reflexive design

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Existing research on bioadaptive media focuses primarily on technical aspects, such as sensing and classification accuracy, while neglecting broader sociotechnical implications, including normative assumptions, user agency, and cultural diversity.
• Significance: Bioadaptive media systems are becoming pervasive and have the potential to shape perceptions, emotions, and behaviors at scale, raising critical ethical, cultural, and political concerns.
• Motivation and related work: Prior work in physiological and affective computing has advanced sensing and adaptation techniques but lacks frameworks to critically analyze the sociotechnical dimensions of these systems. This paper builds on critical HCI, STS, and feminist design studies to address this gap.

Solution

• Proposed approach: SYNAPSE (Sociotechnical Analysis of Perceptual and Adaptive System Experiences), a taxonomy for classifying and critically analyzing bioadaptive media systems across three interdependent dimensions: System Objective, Feedback Logic, and User Agency.
• Novelty:
  1. Introduction of the first sociotechnical taxonomy for bioadaptive media systems.
  2. Development of a reflexive tool to analyze systems at artifact, organizational, and socio-political levels.
  3. Application of the taxonomy to speculative case studies to illustrate its utility.
  4. Identification of key sociotechnical challenges, including affect normalization, agency, and reflexivity in design.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Iterative development of the taxonomy through literature review and conceptual synthesis.
  • Structuring the taxonomy around three dimensions:
    1. System Objective: Why the system adapts (e.g., engagement, well-being, persuasion).
    2. Feedback Logic: How the system adapts (e.g., corrective, amplifying, predictive).
    3. User Agency: Who drives or influences adaptation (e.g., transparency, control, consent).
  • Complementing the taxonomy with a reflexive matrix to diagnose ethical and sociotechnical issues.
  • Application of SYNAPSE to speculative case studies, including immersive journalism, collaborative VR, and digitally induced altered states of consciousness (DIAL).

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • The taxonomy identifies normative assumptions and ethical tensions in bioadaptive systems.
  • The reflexive matrix highlights structural risks such as metric reductionism, affect normalization, and erosion of user agency.
  • Speculative case studies demonstrate how the taxonomy surfaces design trade-offs and sociotechnical impacts.
• Advantage over baselines:
  • Unlike prior frameworks, SYNAPSE integrates sociotechnical, cultural, and ethical considerations into the analysis of bioadaptive systems.
  • It provides a structured vocabulary for reflecting on user–system relationships and broader implications.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Applied to an EEG-based educational game and three speculative case studies, demonstrating its ability to diagnose issues like transparency, user agency, and normative biases.
  • Reflexive matrix used to analyze systems at artifact, organizational, and socio-political levels.
• Limitations and future work:
  • The reflexive tool is preliminary and not exhaustive; future iterations could include interactive design aids like card decks or worksheets.
  • Further research is needed to explore pluralistic and situated design approaches for diverse user groups.

Summary

This paper introduces SYNAPSE, a sociotechnical taxonomy for analyzing bioadaptive media systems across three dimensions: System Objective, Feedback Logic, and User Agency. Complemented by a reflexive matrix, the taxonomy enables critical evaluation of normative assumptions, ethical tensions, and sociopolitical implications. Applications to speculative case studies and an educational game highlight its utility in diagnosing issues like affect normalization, agency erosion, and cultural biases. By bridging technical and sociotechnical perspectives, SYNAPSE provides a framework for designing more reflexive, pluralistic, and user-centered bioadaptive systems.