Is Apple's new feature pushing users towards transhumanism? Psychologist reveals iOS 17's impact on mental health

Owen Chevalier is a PhD student in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Western Ontario, Canada, where he is researching the impact of technology on human mental health. As apomegranateAn avid fan of the product, Chevalier recently experienced theiOS 17 in the new mental health features and is amazed by them. He believes that these new features push humanity one step closer to transhumanism, the fusion of humans and technology, and the eventual replacement of the human body with technology.

In Chevalier's opinion.iPhoneand the Apple Watch not only records the user's physical health data, but now includes mental health data as well, resulting in a complete data record of a person. Users can swipe the screen to see who they are as defined by Apple and ultimately become Apple's ideal version of themselves. He pointed out that when mental health data records information about a user's emotions, the user may also begin to change his or her life to "live out" the better-looking data in the Apple health data record dimension. In a circular feedback mechanism, there is a mutually reinforcing relationship between people and the labels they are assigned. For example, the study found that when TikTok users begin to trust the insights brought by its algorithm, the stream of recommendations from these users begins to become their understanding of self. However, TikTok's algorithm isn't "fair"; its deeper purpose is to categorize users into ad-ready groups. While Apple products don't sell user data or ads, there is a value behind them.

Chevalier looks back at the image of the user in Apple's past advertisements: the classic "Think Different" and the continuing "Behind the Mac" series reflect Apple's message that the user is cool, creative, and self-assertive: Apple users are cool, creative, and self-assertive. Now, with the combination of new data and hardware, that Apple user is also healthy and emotionally stable. While we don't know what will happen when people incorporate their "Apple selves" into their self-concept, it may make them better consumers and more productive employees. Ultimately, that's the goal of corporate mental health. In the end, however, Chevalier also points out that the impact of these new iOS 17 features may be limited. It's always good for us to be proactive in thinking about the impact technology has on us.