>The mundane interface between human and machine caused social anxiety in the late nineteenth century
The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster (written in 1909) has a lot of buttons. The novella is an indication that they were more of a symbol than the real source of the anxiety. It was caused by anticipation of things like:
- Disconnect of people from nature an each other.
- Replacement of real things with simulacra, which then begins to be perceived as the real thing.
- Mounting, yet fragile complexity of systems people interact with (initially) and within (eventually).
Looking at our society today, it's pretty clear that none of these fears were irrational.