SXSW

SXSW Interactive Festival

 

I had the privilege to speak at SXSW Interactive Festival in 2014 & 2015 where I shared my research findings and prototypes with a larger audience before my thesis defense.

 
 
 
 

sxsw 2015 interactive festival pick — World War A: Humans vs. Algorithms

The central idea of Foucauldian Panopticisim concerns the systematic ordering and controlling of human population through subtle and often unseen forces. Such ordering is apparent in increasingly digitized modern world of information. The digitized world is loaded with personal data. This data becomes a sought after commodity, readily feeding an infrastructure of algorithmic surveillance. These systems of surveillance act as a form of control by manipulating our future consumption patterns. Control and manipulation over society creates constant vulnerability under the gaze of surveillance. Sous, Inc. uses dynamic media technologies to create a new line in fashion and interior design. The panel proposes Sous, Inc. as a model for understanding how to overcome such vulnerability. We will look at these products and discuss their ability to expose the invasive existence of dataveillance and to act as shields of privacy, to protect their customers from the threat of control and manipulation.

See more: http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/34474

 
 
 
 

sxsw 2014 interactive festival pick  — Panopticon to pinterest

In 1791, when Jeremy Bentham designed the panopticon prison system, he considered it a mechanism of power that acted directly on individuals, granting its controller “the power of mind over mind.” In the panopticon prison “the apparent omnipresence of the inspector,” combined with “the extreme facility of his real presence” creates a perceived omnipresent, and omniscient figure. Formally homogenous to the human eye, the panopticon’s cells line the prison’s circular outer-walls, while the inspector’s tower, the iris, grants a 360° view of the space. The panopticon creates the illusion of constant surveillance, a living entity, or as Bentham describes it, “an artificial body.” This panel uses the panopticon as a model for understanding the roles of modern surveillance systems and the strategies behind them. Additionally, the panel will guide you through the technological advances that have fueled the evolution of surveillance from the panopticon to the surveillance techniques of today.

- See more: http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/21198