Interface and Data Biopolitics in the Age of Hyperconnectivity
📝 Abstract
This article describes their biopolitical implications for design from psychological, cultural, legal, functional and aesthetic/perceptive ways, in the framework of Hyperconnectivity: the condition according to which person-to-person, person-to-machine and machine-to-machine communication progressively shift to networked and digital means. A definition is given for the terms of “interface biopolitics” and “data biopolitics”, as well as evidence supporting these definitions and a description of the technological, theoretical and practice-based innovations bringing them into meaningful existence. Interfaces, algorithms, artificial intelligences of various types, the tendency in quantified self and the concept of “information bubbles” will be examined in terms of interface and data biopolitics, from the point of view of design, and for their implications in terms of freedoms, transparency, justice and accessibility to human rights. A working hypothesis is described for technologically relevant design practices and education processes, in order to confront with these issues in critical, ethical and inclusive ways.
💡 Analysis
This article describes their biopolitical implications for design from psychological, cultural, legal, functional and aesthetic/perceptive ways, in the framework of Hyperconnectivity: the condition according to which person-to-person, person-to-machine and machine-to-machine communication progressively shift to networked and digital means. A definition is given for the terms of “interface biopolitics” and “data biopolitics”, as well as evidence supporting these definitions and a description of the technological, theoretical and practice-based innovations bringing them into meaningful existence. Interfaces, algorithms, artificial intelligences of various types, the tendency in quantified self and the concept of “information bubbles” will be examined in terms of interface and data biopolitics, from the point of view of design, and for their implications in terms of freedoms, transparency, justice and accessibility to human rights. A working hypothesis is described for technologically relevant design practices and education processes, in order to confront with these issues in critical, ethical and inclusive ways.
📄 Content
Design for Next 12th EAD Conference Sapienza University of Rome 12-‐14 April 2017
Copyright © 2016. The copyright of each paper in this conference proceedings is the property of the author(s). Permission is granted to reproduce copies of these works for purposes relevant to the above conference, provided that the author(s), source and copyright notice are included on each copy. For other uses please contact the author(s). Interface and Data Biopolitics in the Age of Hyperconnectivity. Implications for Design
Salvatore Iaconesia aISIA Design Florence *Corresponding author e-‐mail: salvatore.iaconesi@artisopensource.net Abstract: This article describes their biopolitical implications for design from psychological, cultural, legal, functional and aesthetic/perceptive ways, in the framework of Hyperconnectivity: the condition according to which person-‐to-‐ person, person-‐to-‐machine and machine-‐to-‐machine communication progressively shift to networked and digital means. A definition is given for the terms of “interface biopolitics” and “data biopolitics”, as well as evidence supporting these definitions and a description of the technological, theoretical and practice-‐based innovations bringing them into meaningful existence. Interfaces, algorithms, artificial intelligences of various types, the tendency in quantified self and the concept of “information bubbles” will be examined in terms of interface and data biopolitics, from the point of view of design, and for their implications in terms of freedoms, transparency, justice and accessibility to human rights. A working hypothesis is described for technologically relevant design practices and education processes, in order to confront with these issues in critical, ethical and inclusive ways. Keywords: Hyperconnectivity, Algorithms, Biopolitics, Ethics, Data 1. A Hymn In her “Hymn of Acxiom” folk singer Vienna Teng (2013) starts off with lyrics “Somebody hears you, you know that…”, in what seems to be a church choir. After listening for a bit, the real topic the artist is discussing about becomes clear: Acxiom is not a benevolent divinity somewhere in the cosmo-‐ sphere caringly waiting to hear the troubles of his beloved human beings, but, rather, a high-‐ powered data broker which has been described as “the Private NSA” (Tom’s Guide, 2013), as the silent, largest consumer data processor in the world (Fortune Magazine, 2004) and as “Big Brother in Arkansas” (NY Times, 2012). The topic of the song is data-‐surveillance. The idea for the song came while the author was pursuing an MBA at the University of Michigan: a colleague working with SALVATORE IACONESI 2 Acxiom data was shocked about the amount of information the company had available about herself and her husband. An interesting thing about the song is that the creepy, Orwellian, lyrics also empathize with databases as well as excoriating them. This is, in fact, an interesting point of view. As, on the one hand, we – directly and indirectly – consent tour data to be collected through our behaviors and basically accepting our lifestyle, on the other hand we feel deeply uneasy about that and from its implications. As we benefit from enterprises being able to provide us with products and services which are “more relevant” for us (more on this later in the article), we are simultaneously wary of the f
This content is AI-processed based on ArXiv data.