IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Summer 2014 - 79

A lot of the people that are
close to me, that know me,
were not surprised that I
would do something like that.
The reason Jeff got the implant
was to have access control over,
among other things, his household
server, on which files are stored.
However, his responses also show
that Jeff, in contrast to some other
implantees, perceives the implant
as more than simply access control.
Having something that most others
do not gives Jeff an increased sense
of individuality. Even though Jeff
uses his implant every day and he
forgets most of the time it is there,
he is still excited about it.
I still think it's [the RFID implant, SW] really cool ((laughs))
Jeff is also looking forward
to other technologies that can be
implanted in his body. When we
asked him whether he wanted to
get other body modifications, he
answered positively and enthusiastically, and elaborated on this by
talking about specific enhancement
technologies such as an internal
flash drive and a brain implant. That
these enhancements alter his body is
not a problem for Jeff. He sees the
tag as a body enhancer and expresses
the desire to improve his body.
My friends know me as the guy
who is kinda like I don't really care what it's meant to do
I care what it can do, talking
about all of my tools or computer, everything is great, but
it can be modified to be better.
Cars, computers, I really don't
care, it can always be modified
to be better. Same thing with
the human body. The human
body is, you know, a stock part.
It's (I see it) this way, it can be
enhanced. It can be better.
Jeff also sees the implant as
a part of who he is. Because it is
now in the body and it cannot be

put down like other devices, the
implant has become part of Jeff's
identity. Just as most of us do not
consciously think about using our
hands, Jeff forgets that the implant
is there most of the time and uses it
naturally. However, having a rFID
implant remains special. Overall,
for Jeff the implant is a tool that not
only helps him to secure his files,
but that also enhances him as a
human being. The function of the
implant is important for Jeff, but
more so is the fact that he alters his
body and makes it in to something
better than the original.

Examining Meaning
In this article, we examined the
meaning people give to their
technological implant, contrasting rFID chippers to CI implantees. Our study demonstrates that
for both types of implantees, the
"domestication" of the implants
was relatively easy, although not
entirely similar. For the rFID

Nevertheless, rFID chippers
and CI users articulate the technology in different ways with their
identity as human beings. The
CI users see the CI as a tool, like
any other aid, that helps them in
their everyday life. It remains an
aid, implanted by doctors, aimed
to make people "normal." Some
rFID-tagged persons, however,
mention that CI users are (basic)
cyborgs, because cybernetic parts
are interacting with the human
organism. Most CI respondents in
our study do not understand why
anyone would consider them to be
a cyborg, since they consider the CI
to be a natural and not a technical
part of themselves.
CI users tend not to use the exact
definition of "cyborg," thinking
instead of cyborgs as people with
electronically enhanced bodies -
bodies that have functions normal
bodies do not have. The cochlear
implant, by contrast, is about normalizing the human body.

Implantees quickly adapt
to their implant because
it fits with existing habits.
implantees the tags fit within their
techie lifestyles; they are interested
in technology and know what they
are doing. As acknowledged in
the domestication theory, implantees quickly adapt to their implant
because it fits with existing habits.
Despite becoming a habit, though,
some rFID implantees indicate that
having the tag remains exciting.
CI users undergo a longer
domestication process in which
they learn to use their new skills,
yet they too begin to experience the
CI as a natural way of hearing and
reach a sense that they cannot live
without their CI. Both rFID chippers and CI users perceive their
implant to be part of their selves,
simply because it is located in the
body and they use it as naturally as
their other body parts.

IEEE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY MAGAZINE

SuMMEr 2014

unlike rFID implantees, CI
users do not pay much attention to
the fact that technology and humans
are blending. On the contrary, they
feel their implants are part of their
bodies just as organs are. That the
tool is electronic and is implanted
is of minor importance. It is the
fact that the tool helps them to be
like other people that matters to
them. It is not strange, therefore,
that the CI users who were from
the Netherlands were generally
more reserved about enhancement
technologies, having views similar
to the general population in Dutch
society [28].
rFID users in this study are
more immersed in enhancement
technologies, and look forward to
having them. The literature suggested that chipping people leads
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