Scarce Resource,Valuable
Commodity or an Efficient Utility?
The Future of
Personal Digital
Information
061109
Jarno M. Koponen

Jarno M. Koponen
Designer, Researcher
Media and design research, digital
cultures
MA (New Media), MA (Humanities), PhD in progress
Digital information and emerging personal and
collective narratives, multilinear existence, human-
centered approach/design
Personal future simulation systems
jarnokoponen.net 8+ yrs Internet services & digital
jarno@lasipalatsi.fi brands
Taloussanomat, SITRA, Nokia Research Center,Veikkaus
twitter.com/ilparone Ltd., Nokia News HUB, Culture Action Europe,
Kaapelitehdas, City of Helsinki Education Department,
Helsinki City Cultural Office. Helsinki Institute of
Information Technology...

We create accumulating amount of
personal data
Our life patterns are digitized

Health
Social
Biological
Mobile
Person
Finance
Content
discovery
Purchase

Transforming data into
contextualized and
conceptualized
information
Narratives
interpretations
&
experiences
Information
analysis
&
structuring
Data

MULTILINEAR
EXISTENCE
(combining
physical
&
non-physical
environments)
L TILINEAR
N
U
AR
M
R A TI VES
Person LINEAR
&
NON-LINEAR
PERSONAL
NARRATIVES
Person

The value of personal information is
contingent on its approved use that is
considered to be beneficial to the
individual according to her own standards

Who controls our personal information?
(in digital services and platforms)

Economic development,
socio-technological
innovations,
transforming industry,
search for new
opportunities
Radical economy,
“freeconomics”,
mediaconomy

The value of personal data from a
business perspective

Needs
Intentions
Hopes
Habits
Person
Rhytms
Fears
Weaknesses

Forecasts, micro and
macro trends, detailed
patterns of customer
behavior
+
Real-time and micro-
targeted marketing,
advertising, product
development, and
evaluation

Personal data = a scarce resource, a valuable commodity
Business advantage
sell/analyze,
distribute,
prosper
Personal
information
protect,
control

access,
interaction,
visibility
User Visible,
controllable
information
Service, Invisible,
uncontrollable
Company information
management,
analysis,
distribution

Indistinct ownership policies and closed information
management/processing systems
Invisible,
uncontrollable
information
Concrete implications in everyday life (e.g. targeted advertising,
content recommendations, insurance policy).

How can information processing and
management be made more open
and transparent?
How do we find a way to unite various interests and
intentions regarding the versatile uses of personal
information?

Information, as a
virtual, abstract
entity is a
process rather
than an easily
framed or owned
"artifact".

Once digitized, personal information can
be modified, copied, and distributed ad
infinitum without the direct control of
the individual or another party.

Awareness & Change
The significance of Alternative
visible and policies, practices,
invisible digital services &
information applications
Individual as an
agent of change
Open data movement, open innovation, societies and governments,
awareness through conflicting interests, mashups culture, Open APIs etc.

System-centered “vertical” approach
User Information?
System,
Service/application
Admin
Data
flow(s) Data

User-centered “horizontal” approach
Personal
public
transportation
schedules
User
Service/application
Data Location
Traffic
data Weather Personal
flows forecast calendar
data

The most beneficial uses of personal
information (from an individual’s
perspective) will triumph over the
irrelevant and questionable uses of
uncontrollable personal information.

Digital
existence
Multilinear
existence
Physical
existence

Thank you...
Questions, comments, ideas?
jarnokoponen.net
jarno@lasipalatsi.fi
twitter.com/ilparone