Abstract
Drawing on a 30-month analytic-autoethnography of the first author’s journal as an earlyaccess OpenAI user, this study examines how sustained communication with generative AI affects everyday lived experience and identity. Inductive content analysis of 166 entries by independent coders is followed by theory-driven coding with the extended-mind and sensemaking frameworks. Three interlocking themes emerge. Enabled and Degraded captures the tension between new capabilities and efficiency versus creeping skill atrophy. Scary New World charts rising anxiety as productivity gains erode competitive and relational distinctiveness. The findings also show a growing, pervasive doubt about the human authorship of texts, images, and other communication. Together, the themes theorize second-hand reality: a shared human–AI cognitive loop in which generative AI functions as both extended mind and existential disruptor.
DOI
10.30658/hmc.12.4
Author ORCID Identifier
Andrew Prahl: 0000-0003-3675-3007
Recommended Citation
Prahl, A. (2026). Two years to madness: A 30-month journal of human–machine communication and second-hand reality. Human–Machine Communication, 12, 61–89. https://doi.org/10.30658/hmc.12.4
Included in
Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Other Communication Commons, Science and Technology Studies Commons
Accessibility Statement
This item was created or digitized prior to April 24, 2027, or is a reproduction of legacy media created before that date. It is preserved in its original, unmodified state specifically for research, reference, or historical recordkeeping. In accordance with the ADA Title II Final Rule, the University Libraries provides accessible versions of archival materials upon request. To request an accommodation for this item, please submit an accessibility request form.
Submit Article
This journal supports Open Science Badges
