THESIS PROJECT Overview
In pursuit of a master's degree in Civic Media at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, I developed a thesis project on big data economics and data justice that was completed in August 2018 and features both written & practical components. This website was created so anyone who is interested -- especially program faculty and students -- could follow along as I researched, wrote, shot, edited and otherwise worked toward a finished thesis film. In fact, this website and blog serve as important pieces of my final semester's requirements: to keep a blog, a work plan and a creative journal as I workshopped the finished project. Although this section begins with three possible interventions (part of presentation where I pitched three options for thesis projects), I settled on the short documentary. While I intend to continue research work to create media support through a variety of media such as mobile apps and websites, my focus has been on translating political policy preferences, campaign messages and social issues and into filmed media experiences. Below are the three practical projects I pitched prior to beginning the thesis project in earnest in January, 2018.
#MYDATAMYDOLLAR$ - A SHORT DOCUMENTARY FILM
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, increased financial inequality and a fractured political landscape place a greater demand on it. I am currently at the very earliest stages of designing and writing the project but I am confident that 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. At the moment, these ares include 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.
#MYDATAMYDOLLAR$ - A MOBILE APPLICATION
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.
#MYDATAMYDOLLAR$ - A WEBSITE
Finally, my third concept 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.