The third corner of the functional triad depicts the role that computers play as social actors or living entities. When people use an Interactive technology, they often respond to it as though it were a living being. Digital pets, such as Tamagotchis, a fad product of the mid-1990s, are a well-known example of this phenomenon. In some respects, Tamagotchi owners interacted with these digital life forms as though they actually were alive.

The popularity of Tamagotchis made it evident that people can respond to computing technologies as though they were living creatures. But there is plenty of other evidence that people respond to computers as social actors. You hear it in the language of computer users. Computers are put to "sleep," they "wake up," and sometimes they "die." And people get emotionally involved with computer products. You've probably seen people get angry or swear at the computer when it doesn't deliver as expected, or offer thanks when the computer comes through in a pinch.