Narrative Goals Update

In this week's class we workshopped the narrative goals for our thesis projects as the design phase started to gain momentum. As we work toward narrowing the scope of our projects and refining the deliverables, we're now attempting to answer specific questions about our thesis plans. In an effort to get our projects down from three possibilities to one focused thesis, this workshop was designed as a game theory matrix which asked us to take into account the impact and difficulty of the project. 

In my case, I laid out my three potential projects -- the documentary, the mobile app and the website -- to identify the one that had  the highest impact and the lowest difficulty. For me, it's the documentary. For the app I need to learn coding from scratch and, though the website would be easier to build than the app, it is a significantly lower potential impact project. I had entered this semester with the notion that I would do the doc already and had been planning my semester around delivering updates to that project for both the design studio and directed study.

In following the workshop goals, we identified the need our projects would address. For my project, I am looking to introduce the widest audience possible to the current state of data economics and data justice and highlight the future risks and outcomes of leaving data ownership, value and ethics to corporations and governments. Even this will be refined further from where it is now but, in the broadest sense, this is the ideal outcome. To further clarify the basics:

-Who does this project address? The academic concept is to take a look at the state of the data economy as it is today and examine the degree to which chaos is the key driver. The fact that it is difficult to to establish a clear financial value, ownership structure or ethical perspective leads to a situation where the actual value of data is not put to use toward a social good but is used to monetize corporations and governments. Therefore, anyone who could benefit from the monetization or controlled use of their data (meaning just about everyone) is the community to whom this project is directed.

-What does the project do? While a mobile app or a customized website that is focused on the problem space will achieve this goal, I think a short documentary film is the best vehicle for presenting the issue as it can be distributed and promoted through a variety of means -- online posting followed by social media and links/commentary to add depth to the issue. For example, I could adjust the blog I created for this class to be a home for the media and conversation of the topic. A short documentary film can encapsulate the idea in a very short period of time, introduce the audience to a variety of perspectives and offer conclusions that encourage further engagement with the topic. In addition, an interactive video might encourage deeper contact with the topic but it may overwhelm the viewer and present the problem as too large to tackle, thus discouraging further engagement with the topic. I think the film is the best first step in the project triptych, with the app as a second phase and the website as a final piece to complete the project and offer a central distribution center for all of the project research.

- When and where will this project be presented? The final version of the project for the CMAP program will be a short (20-30 min.) documentary. Beyond that, I plan to expand it further should I be accepted into the MFA program where I'll attempt to mold it into a feature length project.