[ cross post from my personal blog ]

I had the idea to split social capital into two different metrics: one that measured the breadth and one that measured the depth. This idea is generally supported by sociologists (see here), and their theory led to their respective names: Bridge and Bond.

The idea for my rethink of currency was simple. The world would be free of money, but people would still rely on each other for goods and services, and they would need a metric to evaluate the amount of trust and risk they would place by performing these acts for each other. Bridge would evaluate this breadth of the network, and is automatically assigned each time new people come into contact. Bond, however, is a limited resource that each person has to give. The amount of bond signifies many things in a relationship: 10,000 Bond could be love, 2,000 Bond could be friendship, and 5 Bond could be, “I appreciate the cat video you just uploaded to YouTube.” Bond could be positive or negative, and can be given and taken in any quantity at any point. Additionally, Bond would slowly return to the person who gave it over time, meaning that Bond would have to be maintained between persons. All of this information would be publicly viewable.

All implications aside, I was curious to see how, given Bond as a limited resource, people would react in this situation. I was slightly concerned about the societal implications, as it would require people to be completely forthcoming about their opinions of one another, but I didn’t want to jump to conclusions before it happened.

And this came my experiment. With the exception of one person, who was asked to step outside, everyone in Thesis Prep was given a stack of eight “Bond” cards. They were given a brief about what Bond meant in this new culture, and were instructed to hand out as many cards as they wanted to whomever. It should be noted that each person had 8 cards, but there were 13 people participating.

The person who was outside was given the brief, and then asked to choose 3 with whom they would do a favor or collaborate.

The results of the experiment were mixed. Predictably, a large number of Bond cards went to the professors in attendance, and they were a scattering of cards amongst the students of varying levels. The person who was absent for the exchange chose people with lots of cards and with few cards, the idea being that the person with fewer cards lacked meaningful connections and would be easier to gain favor with, whereby the people with lots of cards had much more power and would better serve their own want to gain status.

What was more interesting were the reactions of those participating: Mark Bolas exclaimed it was “dirty money”—by creating a token to represent what in this case was assumed to be respect, it became tainted. There was much talk about the idea that our public opinions with others being something that is played down in modern society, and by bringing it to the forefront, I was exposing feelings with which people weren’t ready to deal. In essence, it seemed that dramatically shifting things like respect and trust, which are normally very personal ideas, into the public light made people extremely uncomfortable.

There are some things I would change if I were to run the experiment again. I’d have everyone do the experiment twice: the first where they had more Bond than people, the second where they were limited. I’d also run it where giving is far more anonymous, so I could compare and contrast the emotions with public and private giving. Lastly, I’d try to do a better job at separating the ideas of money and Bond.

I do think currency in this form is a viable notion, but it would require a dramatic rethink of how culture and society is structured, especially in the west.

Also, random idea encounter!

What if there were bizarre tunneling beasties who lived with the humans? And they keep on doing their thing, even when you aren’t logged in.

I just submitted my proposal for Brand New Colony, for the Fox Fellowship. Download it here.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you immersed your iPhone in muddy water? Can toilet paper be used to visualize data flows across social networks?

These are everyday investigation in CTIN 542 & 548, where second year IMD graduate students are laying a foundation for designing their thesis projects. These same students will be offering previews of their thesis proposals next Tuesday April 20 from 2:00 to 5:00PM in ZML. All are welcome to come catch a glimpse of the future of Interactive Media!

Making Friends: Seven Days Toward Empathetic Avatars

As avatars become computer interfaces, it’s all too easy for users to act from a position of presumed superiority and condescension. Believing ourselves to be the only sentient being in a relationship – even with a virtual character – can lead to arrogance and indifference toward other beings, whether “real” or “virtual.”

Yet, emotions such as empathy are fundamental to human experience, influencing such basic human processes as cognition, perception, learning, communication and decision-making. Historically, however, designers, theorists and technologists have largely ignored the emotional register, which is notoriously difficult to predict, harness or contain.

This assignment is about creating a contract of caring between a user and a physical avatar. One way of approaching this assignment would be to create a situation or exchange that highlights the intense feelings we sometimes develop for inanimate objects. But remember, contracts represent an exchange of value: what would it take for these objects to develop intense feelings of empathy for us?

Choose one or more of the plush toys in front of you now. Take some time to know its needs, wants and feelings. Imagine ways to create an exchange of value between this character and a user. This can take place as part of an exchange, a vignette or an interactive moment in which the user and character create a contract of caring or understanding.

Your project should fit on a standard ZML desk. Output of all varieties – mechanical, physical, sound, projection, etc. – is encouraged. You may use one ZML projector. You may incorporated internet connectivity and any available input or interface devices. Other than the need to incorporate the plush toy in some way, the choice of media, materials and subject matter is entirely up to you. Your work should be entertaining, inspiring, thought-provoking, acrobatic or theoretically defensible – it must be engaging. Each student is responsible for his/her own project, but you may assist each other and collaborate as you see fit. Outside help is allowed, but all such services must be donated.

The projects will be presented in the CTIN 511 seminar on Wednesday March 31, 2010. The projects should be set up on the central or peripheral tables in ZML before seminar begins. Presentations will begin promptly at 6:15. Once the presentations begin, students should not have to touch or adjust their projects, and must remain silent. The student may dictate how long the interaction will take, up to a maximum of four minutes, and how many people will interact.

Presenters: 2nd Year MFA students in CTIN 542 and CTIN 548

Title: ” Shake Rattle and Roll – CTIN 542,548 Second Year MFA Combined One-Week Interactive Design Project, Spring 2009″

Instructors/Jurors: Mark Bolas, Perry Hoberman, Steve Anderson.

The Challenge: Keyboards contain the arms, wrists, hands and fingers to slight taps along a tiny plane. Mice confine the entire body to slight motions along a plane – reducing intent to inches. Screens constrain our backs, necks, and heads into Nixon-esque postures – eyes fixed forward, shoulders slumped. It is time to break free from the bondage of our systems and engage our bodies in the interaction. It is time to Shake, Rattle and Roll!

Your assignment is to conceive of, design, and produce an interactive experience in which the body is not a mere spectator, but a central element of the experience. The experience should engage the body and be one or more of the following: surprising, shocking, bewildering, addictive, amazing, exquisite, thoughtful, provocative. Students are to incorporate the box, in some way, to create an interactive experience that transpires in between .002 to 200 seconds. Engagement is a two-way street – we move, speak and sweat while we also hear, see, feel, touch and smell. Think in terms of the whole body, and a full range of sensory possibilities.

Additional Instructions: Your project should fit on a standard ZML desk. Output of all varieties – mechanical, physical, audio, projection, etc. – is encouraged: Engage the User’s Body. You may use one ZML projector. You may incorporate internet connectivity. Other than the need to incorporate the box in some way: the choice of media, materials and subject matter is entirely up to you. The project need not be self-contained within the box. Each student is responsible for his/her own project. You may assist each other and collaborate as you see fit. Outside help is allowed, but all such assistance must be donated.

The projects will be presented at the CTIN511 seminar on Wednesday, March 11th. The projects should be set up on the central or peripheral tables in ZML before the seminar begins. Presentations will begin promptly at 6:15. Once the presentations begin, students should not have to touch or adjust their projects (except in case of emergency). Going through each project in turn, one or more of the jurors will interact and engage with it for as long as they see fit, for up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds. If required, instructions to the jurors should be provided in written form on a slip of paper no larger than 8.5″ by 2″.

Presenters: 2nd Year MFA students in CTIN 542, 544, 548

Room 201 Zemeckis Media Lab (ZML)

Title: “Flying Off The Handle – CTIN 542, 544, 548 Second Year MFA Combined One-Week Interactive Design Project, Spring 2008″

Instructors/Jurors: Mark Bolas, Perry Hoberman, Michael Naimark, Peggy Weil

Project Description:

“In the center of the table in front of you is a pile of handles, knobs and pulls. These objects, specifically shaped for the human hand, can be attached to other objects or surfaces, allowing them to be pushed, pulled, grabbed, closed, opened, turned, twisted, switched, lifted, shifted, operated, poured, tossed, etc. Handles can be attached to either movable and immobile objects. Handles can have both symbolic and/or practical functions – a handle is a kind of affordance. Affordances provide clues to how an object can or should be used (clues that can be useful, but also misleading). Your assignment is to conceive of, design, and produce an interactive experience in which the operation of one or more of these handles by a human user is a central component. This experience should be one or more of the following: surprising, shocking, bewildering, addictive, amazing, exquisite, subtle, provocative.”

The full version of Professor Kahn’s thesis document is here: Download file