The document discusses how technology and wireless internet use in urban public spaces can influence both privatism and social participation. It provides examples of projects like Yellow Chair and Umbrellas.net that used technology to encourage communication between strangers in public. The document raises questions about how to use ubiquitous computing and urban spaces to create organic communication opportunities without relying on devices like phones or watches. It explores the social and cultural implications of ubiquitous computing in cities and ways to design for communication through unexpected connections.

1. BASAK HAZNEDAROGLU
THESIS PROTOTYPES
CYNTHIA LAWSON
09.23.2010

2. technology
urban space people
urban space
technology
social interaction

3. Technology as self expression in
urban spaces
My technology = my identity
why are we using these specific devices?
How does it affect our social
experiences with others?

4. Serendipity
Randomness
As a designer
How do I create random occasions that will encourage
communication ?

5. mobile application
to map out the individuals with high gsr
wearable device
to calculate the gsr and send it to the
mobile phone

8. creating a second skin

9. Why?

10. data
as a content or conversation?

11. data
as a content or conversation?
data data

12. SOCIAL LIFE OF WIRELESS URBAN SPACE
How technology influencing privatism and
participation at the same time?
Impacts of wireless Internet use on urban
public spaces?

13. Majority of wi-fi users used their wireless
Internet connection to communicate with social
ties that were not physically present (66%).

14. How can I turn this around?

15. Yellow chair project by Anab Jain
Inviting strangers from street to use her computer and its wireless open access not only as an
access to the internet but
to read or to listen to her "Today's Offer" in the "shared
folder"
a 'real world blog space'
a territory for conversation between neighbours

16. Umbrellas.net by Katherine Moriwaki
Communication channels based on the similarity of actions
Causing sudden striking and unexpected connections in the city

17. ad-hoc Dark Network by Mark Shepard
creating ad-hoc “dark” networks for communication along a
morning commute

18. SKETCH A DAY

19. NEXT STEPS
What are the social and cultural implications of ubiquitous
computing for urban environment?
What opportunities lie to use urban computing as a way of
communication?
What are the organic ways and forms to create this
communication?
(not in the form of a watch/phone etc..necessarily!!!)