Thesis Project - 3 Ideas
The first and most focused of my thesis project ideas is to create a short documentary film to illustrate and expand upon my written thesis. As I described in the proposal in December, my project examines several ways in which the value of big data can be leveraged to support a social safety net in a future where labor automation and increased financial inequality place greater demand on it. The content of the film will feature interviews with important business leaders, writers, politicians, and academics with expertise in each of my key thesis areas: data ownership, valuation, agency and privacy. I will produce the film myself which includes writing, shooting, editing, etc. I intend to enlist the help of a community partner (whom I have yet to lock into the project) to inform further project research and help me to identify and attract participants. I have several ideas for partnerships including the ACLU, the EFF and Data & Society, a NYC-based research group. I envision this film to have a running time of approximately 20-30 minutes.
A second project idea is a mobile application that tracks, organizes and monetizes user data to more easily facilitate its use as a revenue source. For example, the app updates a master list each time a data point is collected on your device; if you enter a subway station, use an ATM, order a coffee, check your email, etc. The app collects these data points, assigns a value to them and displays them in an organized fashion so a user can browse a time-stamped map view, track the data they generate and otherwise exert control over their data activity. Ultimately, “wallets” of data that can be organized and offered for sale to businesses that seek to leverage the data for a multitude of corporate uses.
Finally, my third idea is a website that creates a web-based home for the movement to bring data ownership to the people. Preliminarily called “mydatamydollars.org,” it’s a site that acts as a portal for news, stories, editorial commentary, legislative updates and all things surrounding this movement. Like the app, the design process of the website would incorporate input from end users in a participatory process that helps decide the kind of information that gets featured, the aesthetic choices and all manner of design and content decisions in between. As all of the media interventions need to reflect choices and desires of the end user, they must also involve the end user in the process to design them.