Boston University
An Experts' Workshop & Public Panel Discussion
http://www.bu.edu/com/mobile-life-workshop/index.html
What will social life be like when each of us has instant personal
information about those around us? It is easy to conjure utopian and
dystopian visions of this future. By contrast, the purpose of this
workshop is to draw upon empirical evidence we already have to construct
frameworks for rigorous understandings of these likely changes.
Emerging technologies are increasingly offering mobile people convenient
heads-up displays of situationally relevant data on an individualized
basis. Such data could be based on cues such as eye-tracking or physical
location in an environment. Data streams could include co-location of
friends, commercial offers, tourist information, news and sports
updates, and even running scans of personal characteristics of
passers-by on the street. When chatting with friends, voice stress
analysis and other psychological state indications could be detected and
displayed to users. A host of issues will arise as people begin
interacting with these technologies which will likely engage a gamut of
utopian and dystopian possibilities. Google offers a point-of-view video
characterizing what life might be like.
Having readily accessible information concerning the ambient
environment is for many an exciting prospect though for others it is a
source of concern and distress. Yet despite strong reactions to these
developments, commentary on how such technologies may affect social
relations and individuals' internal states has too often remained the
province of casual commentators.
By contrast, drawing on research – including on topics such as
ubiquitous and immersive computing, media and locational badges, and
distributed context-aware applications – insights may be available
concerning interactions that future users may face. Historical analogies
should also prove illuminating. The purpose of this workshop therefore
is to move past casual speculation and instead draw on systematic
social-science based analyses of relevant issues regarding interaction
under mobile conditions when information, especially socially relevant
information, is widely available.
