One of my favorite things about technology is that new inventions, processes, and objects can be exploited for metaphor. Even if you believe there’s truly nothing new to be thought or said, you have a better shot (shot: a word that through the ages could be used in analogies relating to bows and arrows, guns, golf, basketball, photography, and on into the future) at originality if your comparison involves something that hasn’t been in existence for long.

I’ve started to collect metaphors (and similes–but technically I think they’re a subclass of metaphor) about technology as I hear them or think of them.

This week’s technology metaphor comes from a yoga teacher instructing the class into a pose that serves as a slight break from the motion of vinyasa flow: “Everyone take a downward dog whenever you need a moment–it’s like hitting the refresh button for your practice.” 

Many of the metaphors I’ve encountered so far use terminology to relate to areas that seem almost diametrically opposed to technology–yoga, meditation, therapy.

If you have a technology metaphor you’d like to send out into the world, email me at claire@clairedunnington.com, or post in the comments.

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