Tag Archives: future

07/28/22

Task 12: Speculative futures

Please wait 1-2 minutes for the videos to load. After you have watched them, the rationales behind the two very different distant future scenarios are explained below. Please be advised some images may be found offensive and/or provoking.

Rationale

Speculative design is described by Dunne and Raby (2013)  as “…to use design as a means of speculating how things could be—”(p. 2) This was the basis of this week’s task to create our visions of what a utopian and dystopian vision for the future of education, technology, media and text could be. Dunne and Raby (2013) discuss the purpose of speculative futures is,  “the idea of possible futures and using them as tools to better understand the present and to discuss the kind of future people want, and, of course, ones people do not want”(pp. 2-3).

Dunne and Raby (2013) mention that speculative design should involve critical thinking, “Designers start by identifying shortcomings in the thing they are redesigning and offer a better version” (p. 35). This is exactly what I used to help identify the problems in current technology, its use and the potential effects on the future. For example, in the utopian video I draw attention to some of the technologies that currently exist but are being underused which, with further acknowledgment and training in their use can benefit the people who need them such as: assistive technologies, satellite internet in remote communities and affordable devices (tablets, mobiles) for those with lower socioeconomic status. In the dystopian video for example, I point out the importance of including the teaching of soft skills in future curriculums and education as these skills will be needed for future employment opportunities because technology does not possess them. A lot of the ideas of how technology, specifically AI, can help us in the future such as virtual personal assistants, improving diagnoses and overall health through analysing data were borrowed from the Vallor (2018) video, Lessons from the AI Mirror. Vallor (2018) mentions how we can use the AI mirror, “to construct a better world.” This notion was a further inspiration behind both the utopian and dystopian videos created for this task.

Dunne and Raby (2013) explain how critical thought is integrated into the material design and by doing so, “It is an expression or manifestation of our skeptical fascination with technology, a way of unpicking the different hopes, fears, promises, delusions, and nightmares of technological development and change” (p. 35). I hoped to achieve just that with the presentations displaying hopes by giving examples of how companies could use the data collected on people to improve lives by helping design programs to discover our passions, create life plans and connect us more to the people and nature around us as mentioned in the Harris (2017) talk. I also wanted to point out the dark side and fears associated with the other side of the spectrum in the dystopian video which alludes to data collection being used increasingly in social  media for mind control, time wasting and manipulating people (especially those with mental illnesses) as described in the Tufekci (2017) video, for example.

“To find inspiration for speculating through design we need to look beyond design to the methodological playgrounds of cinema, literature, science, ethics, politics, and art; to explore,hybridize, borrow, and embrace the many tools available for crafting not only things but also ideas— fictional worlds, cautionary tales, what-if scenarios, thought experiments, counterfactuals, reductio ad absurdum experiments, prefigurative futures, and so on” (Dunne & Raby, 2013, p.3). This was the inspiration for my dystopian video as I had been to an art exhibit by the artist Héctor Hernández Rodríguez in Spain last year that really inspired me as it seemed to convey the fears people may have with technology and the future. I decided to use this as the main visual component of the dystopian video as the powerful visuals could create a cautionary tale invoking fear and anxiety and most importantly thought about peoples’ relationships to technology and its use in the different aspects of our lives.

Dunne and Raby (2013) mention the use of conceptual design as a form of critique of our existing world more specifically how it can be used to, “question, critique, and challenge the way technologies enter our lives and the limitations they place on people through their narrow definition of what it means to be human” (p. 34). This was another part of the discourse that fuelled my design for both the utopian and dystopian future videos. In my utopian video, I focussed on exaggeration in my design to stress how technology is helpful for all purposes and made it seem as though without it we would be far more deprived. I did this throughout the video but ended the video with a strong ode to technology making the world better as a sort of overly exaggerated nod to its benefits whilst blinding myself to its faults. In the dystopian video, I again critiqued the way technology is limiting people such as the way in which education is focussed on repackaging the old-fashioned learning intentions rather than re-defining or innovating it more to fit with 21st century skills needed for the future workforce as well as critiquing how the media influence our decisions and judgements through constant exposure to ideas and fake news, making the assumption that we can no longer decipher the truth or make decisions in its absence.

Both of these videos portray unlikely and extreme scenarios but, the ideas contained within them could be applied to current and future technologies to help improve our society as a whole.

References

Dunne, A. & Raby, F. (2013). Speculative everything: Design, fiction, and social dreaming

       [eBook edition]. The MIT Press. https://muse-jhu-edu.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/book/28148/

Freeland, A., & Klangkarussell. (2015). We want your soul [Song].Virgin Records

Harris, T. (2017).  How a handful of tech companies control billions of minds every day [Video].

      TED Conferences.                         

   https://www.ted.com/talks/tristan_harris_the_manipulative_tricks_tech_companies_use_to_capture_your_

    attention?language=en

Hernández, H. (2018). Originales digitales. Héctor Hernández. Retrieved July 28, 2022, from

       https://hectorhernan.wixsite.com/originalesdigitales/2

Tufekci, Z. (2017). We’re building a dystopia just to make people click on ads [Video]. TED

      Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/zeynep_tufekci_we_re_building_a_dystopia_just_to_ma

       ke_people_click_on_ads?language=en

Vallor, S. (2018, November 6). Lessons from the AI mirror [Video]. YouTube.                                                   

       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40UbpSoYN4k

05/21/22

Task 1: What’s in your bag?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is your daily need for the items in your bag?

I usually head to the gym 3-4 times a week and have gotten used to carrying both my gym bracelet for access to the gym, my headphones for when I run and my water bottle. My change purse acts as my wallet and houses my bank cards and ID card (incase I head out before or after to a shop or cafe). I have also gotten used to bringing hand sanitizer everywhere since the pandemic began and therefore this is also a staple in my bag. My eyebrow pencil, lip gloss and brush are also viewed as “necessities” for my bag as I like to stay groomed after the gym or going somewhere for a long period of time and of course my mobile phone (which I cannot show as it’s taking the photo) as I like to listen to music at the gym and stay connected via the internet and text messaging capabilities housed on it.

How might these items be considered “texts” and what do they say about you, the places you inhabit, the cultures with which you engage, and/or the activities you take up?

These might be considered “texts” as they are visual representations of my lifestyle and daily habits. They tell a story of how I live my life and what I like/dislike through this photograph of them. For example they show I like to go to the gym, purchase on the go, I enjoy listening to music and I dislike the spread of germs/harming others. They also reflect aspects of my own personality as well such as my need to appear polished, my preparedness, my introverted nature at the gym via my headphones and the avoidance of conversations with strangers, my determinedness via my gym bracelet and my water bottle and large enough bag to tote various items incase of adventure or a spontaneous outing.

Thinking about the title of the course, what are the “text technologies” in your bag, if any? What do these items say about how you engage with language and communication?

The text technologies would be my phone as it houses my digital communication tools for communicating with others via text messages, emails, etc. It also shows I don’t have time to write things down with a pen and paper as I am too busy for this and therefore I utilise my phone for any note taking in a digital form (for convenience sake).  This shows that I am both busy, connected to the modern forms of communication and perhaps that I am partial to using abbreviations in my language and communication practices through text messaging tools. This item also reflects the rapid pace at which we can communicate with others in these modern times due to affordable and portable internet and text messaging tools housed on our phones, for example.

What do the items in your bag say about the literacies you have?

The items may show that I have digital literacies and am familiar with modern forms of digital representations of text on my mobile phone for example. They may also show that I have health literacies (hand sanitizer, a gym bracelet and a water bottle) demonstrated by this activity. They may say I have financial literacy through my bank cards that show I know how to move and make money to store on these cards. They may also demonstrate civic or social literacy through my desire to ensure a safe society and protect one another from the spread of germs and COVID in particular.

How does the narrative of the (private) contents of your bag compare with the narrative produced by image you have of yourself or the image you outwardly project?

The narrative of the private contents of my bag reflect a more insecure, slightly antisocial person than the image I have of myself on a regular basis due to the avoidance of social interactions by use of headphones and the use of makeup to cover visible insecurities.

What would this same bag have looked like, say, 15 or 25 years ago?

15 years ago the bag would have housed more makeup items as I was more interested and had more time to take better care of myself back then and enjoyed doing so. It would have had an iPod rather than a phone to house my music options and perhaps some body spray for after the gym as I cared more about the image I projected to others when I was younger. I would also have a plastic gym card membership rather than a computerized wristband to gain entry to the gym.

How do you imagine an archaeologist aiming to understand this temporal period might view the contents of your bag many years in the future?

In the future an archaeologist would probably find it intriguing that people toted around antiseptic spray and would perhaps think we were very clean individuals or suspect a plague (which would be more apt). I think they would be impressed with our reusable water jugs and think them to be quite clever. I think they would find the headphones to be of an archaic design and poor quality and I don’t think they would be surprised by the use of grooming products in women as they’ve been used countless times in differing forms throughout history.