| 1. |
- Asai, Ryoko, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
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The revival of natural and cultural identity through social media
- 2011
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Ingår i: The computational turn. - Münster : MV-Wissenschaft. - 9783869913551 ; , s. 329-331
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Social media has played an important role as hub for information in political change. It can contribute to the development och psychological and social preconditions for dialog and democracy.
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| 2. |
- Laaksoharju, Mikael, 1977-
(författare)
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Designing for Autonomy
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this thesis, two problems are addressed.The first problem is how designers of computerized artifacts come to understand what they should design. In order to improve their chances for solving the right problem, it is suggested to adopt a deductive theorizing protocol, based on falsification, as it is expressed in philosophy as well as in psychological research on problem solving and decision making.It requires a shift in the role that designers take in communication with users; rather than considering users as objects of study, the designers' understanding is being scrutinized, by users.To accomplish this, an explication of the designers' understanding is necessary to formulate: a Theory of Use, which should account for the assumptions that the designers make about the users and the use situation. It should also be focused on what the designers understand to be the qualities of a good solution. These assumptions and qualities should be formulated as statements that are falsifiable by the users. Through this, the designers can, in a systematic way, get feedback on how well they have understood what they are designing for. Furthermore, the Theory of Use becomes the requirements against which subsequent design hypotheses are evaluated.The second problem is how to determine if a computerized artifact is appropriate for a given purpose. To guide such an evaluation, it is suggested to focus on the autonomy of the artifact's users. This is based on the philosophical and psychological conclusion that autonomy is necessary for human well-being, which is not explicitly taken into account in current design practice.The proposed Theory of Use protocol also gives designers the autonomy they need for developing their understanding and expertise. It is intended to improve and guide communication with users, targeting the most important facet of design: the designers' understanding of what they are designing for. Moreover, the protocol puts users in control over what is developed for them, and lets them have the final say on how their lives are designed.
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| 3. |
- Laaksoharju, Mikael, 1977-
(författare)
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In Support of Democratic Dialogue
- 2012
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- There are many interpretations of what constitutes a democracy. Not all of these recognize that the fundament for a democratic society is the acceptance of dissent. All qualities that we see as constituent of democracy, like separation of powers; equality; elections; freedoms of speech, political expressions and press; etc., are however empty phrases unless society protects those who do not subscribe to the predominant, publicly endorsed ideologies. Nevertheless, it cannot be disregarded that dissent can be destructive and even pose a danger to the democracy that protects it. Recently we have seen all over Europe that populist right-wing parties are gaining increasing influence; influence that could be interpreted as a threat to democratic principles like equality of individuals. How can this be dealt with democratically?We believe that the only reasonable way — the only democratically correct way — to handle populist discontent is by careful scrutiny of what is being expressed. To stigmatize and trying to exclude the dissent from public debate has not been successful in suppressing the tendencies. By instead refuting the fundamental premises for the claims, it should be a minor problem to refute these. Complaints should not be denied but instead publicly challenged. This presupposes great trust in democratic principles but also a preparedness to change ones own position.To facilitate democratic dialogue about concrete issues, on any level in society, we have constructed a collaborative tool. The principle is very simple, almost banal, and the fact that we propose a simple tool to solve a complex problem in deed seems presumptuous. Yet we have experienced that the tool is remarkably powerful. The reason why we can claim with some confidence that it works, is the theoretical founding of it. It is built on the assumption that people are not making judgments in isolation. Societies are systems of people and thus societal problems can only be solved by addressing values and interests of the involved stakeholders; by answering questions about how these are affecting the problem situation and how these are affected by any proposed solution.The advantages with using the tool for this type of analysis are many. First, the tool supplies an open, distributed platform, in which an analysis can evolve organically. It allows different parties to include their points of view and decision makers to follow how arguments have been applied in concrete situations. Second, it counters the power of rhetoric and invites pluralism. Unlike debates, there is no need to limit the number of issues. Structure is instead given by application of arguments in concrete situations. Finally, the tool is designed to counter a number of biases, commonplace in decision making. The form in which arguments are presented makes it difficult to revert to value-laden principled reasoning, and invites to a proactive, concrete, solution-oriented discourse.At the conference, we will present the moral philosophical and psychological foundation for the tool and demonstrate how it works. It represents a form of social media that has the purpose of facilitating democratic dialogue.
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