FBP
Social Media Time Machine
This video is made for Instagram
to see it correctly click right
Social media has a big impact on our everyday lives. Their recommendation systems are getting us in so-called filter bubbles, drifting us apart and the lack of clear rules and structure is resulting in us not knowing how to behave properly. These concerns emerged in a worldwide conversation. But how do we fix it?
In this project, I asked the question; “What if we start seeing social media as a physical public space?” Spaces shape behavior, by the way, they are designed but also by the way they encode certain norms about how to behave. You behave differently in a bar than in a library. Social media needs this kind of structure. However, people have different kinds of preferences about how to interact with the platforms. The “social media time machine” includes 8 concepts that explore the (near) future of social media if we would
redesign it as if it were a physical public space, all in one interactive Instagram story.
Reflection
This project allowed me to combine the things I liked to do together with the things I still wanted to develop myself in. I like working in groups but working by myself was a good experiment. I noticed that especially at the beginning of the process I could move very fast because of this, I knew what I wanted to do and what approach I was going to take. However, towards the end, I needed co-creation sessions to get more concrete. The project itself but also the fact that I developed 8 concepts gave me the chance to develop myself in all areas of expertise and get new hard skills. It also helped me to make my vision more concrete and get to know where I want to focus on in my master’s.
User and Society
Creativity and Aesthetics
Technology and Realization
Business and Entrepreneurship
Math Data and Computing
To develop myself in this area I combined theories I knew to get to know the context of my users and design for social transformation. I liked being experimental and for example, combined context-mapping methods together with more traditional research through design approach and experimented with gathering qualitative and quantitative data.
In this area, I developed by using different ideation techniques and trying different ways of conceptualization such as making physical prototypes, videos, and using storytelling. This gave me a critical attitude towards why you make your prototypes the way you do. Next to that, I thought a lot about where and how to communicate my designs and questions.
This is an area of expertise I learned quite much about throughout my bachelor's but I was never that confident alone. In this project, I saw this area as a means to explore my ideas and tell the story. In this project, I wanted to use technologies I never worked with before such as 3d printing. I saw this as an opportunity to learn so I can use it in the future. I bought a 3d printer to get to know the whole process, from making 3d models to getting the prints to stick. Next to that I also developed myself in coding with HTML and CSS. And used new ways of digital prototyping with Adobe XD.
I developed here by analyzing and validating current business models. I Analysed the business model of Instagram and learned about tax systems all over the world. Next to that, I wanted to come in contact with a big group of people as users but also as experts. I have broadened my network with this and developed my entrepreneurial mindset within design.
In this area, I first learned more on a theoretical level by getting to know how machine learning and recommendation systems work. More towards the end I used it for visualizing the quantitative data of the Instagram survey in a way I could analyze and make conclusions.
