Flock…The Social Browser
Web browser.
Creating the tools for the participatory web.
www.flock.com

K.I.T. *Kisses, Interaction, Technology

Keep In Touch... we are moving further and further from Touch.
In an attempt to understand the space where live, human interaction merges with digitally mediated interaction, I ask myself...
How have new communication technologies changed social norms and the way in which people in society interact with one another?
How can communication be altered with furniture and spaces?
What role do digital communication tools play on the evolution of ones social skills? How can digital interfaces be humanized to allow for more natural communication, thus lessening barriers?

I'll get back to you on this one...

Neighbornodes are group message boards on wireless nodes, placed in residential areas and open to the public. These nodes transmit signal for around 300 feet, so everyone within that range has access to the board and can read and post to it. This means that with a Neighbornode you can broadcast a message to roughly everyone whose apartment window is within 300 feet of yours (and has line of sight), and they can broadcast messages back to you. Boards are only accessible from computers that go through the local node.

Additionally, Neighbornodes are linked together, making up a node network to enable the passing of news and information on a street-by-street basis throughout the wider community.

With access to your local Neighbornode, you can post messages to your local group board, as well as forward messages to other nodes in your vicinity. These other nodes can in turn forward messages to your node, resulting in a network of neighborhood message boards.

www.neighbornode.com

Serendipity is an application for mobile phones that can instigate interactions between you and people you don't know, but probably should. All you have to do is create a Mobule profile containing the information you feel comfortable sharing with potential friends and colleagues. This profile, along with your mobile phone, immediately provides a connection to an exciting community of people around you whom you have yet to meet. Looking for a date? A new client? An expert? Or maybe just a good conversation... Let Serendipity help you turn the strangers around you into friends.

www.mobule.com

Online Survey on Electronic Communication Media
I've received about 100 responses to my survey.
The written questions are as follows:
How do you feel about the social aspect of these new mediums? Does it help or hinder your social skills in face-to-face interactions ? Please explain.
Do you have any thoughts on how this increased usage of digital tools is changing society?

Read the Results: www.TissuesforIssues.com

Interaction and Society
Social interaction is an essential element to human existence. E-mail and instant messaging are replacing telephone calls and many people work an entire day without opening their mouths to communicate. There is no denying that technology is on its way to involving itself in every aspect of people’s lives and, as our world becomes more digitized and efficient, the frequency of face-to-face interaction in society is decreasing. Though we are staying connected, I believe we are losing an extremely important component to life - live, human interaction. I expect this decrease in live communication will create a need for balance, perhaps causing a desire in people to get out and interact more in public.

How is technology harming social development and how can technology be used to enhance social development? The irony is that the more people use and rely on new technology, the more it is relied upon as an interface to enhance social interactions. We keep moving farther away from the physical. How healthy is this for society? “What about carnal needs?” asks William Morris, as cited by architectural historian, Robin Evans in an essay on architectural floorplan and their effect on interactivity.

I am interested in understanding how the fundamental design of a space and the furnishings of the space can promote social interaction and what effect new technologies can have on that space. What will a real-world chat room look like? How would it differ from a traditional bar or café? How must we think about designing public spaces in order to seamlessly merge new technologies and physical structures in our environments? How will pervasive computing change our interactions in spaces? How will integrated technology be used to promote or obstruct interactions among people?

My extreme vision of the future, if social interaction levels continue on the path they are on, is that people will gradually lose the skills required to meet in public spaces, both personally and professionally. I believe that due to the increasing reliance on non-verbal, digital communication, people will need assistance socializing in person. There may be a need for places or products that are designed to facilitate real-world face-to-face meetings.

I would like to gain a greater understanding of how humans interact in spaces, both real and virtual and to eliminate barriers between people. I do this by studying and creating scenarios that promote human connection and instigating communication between people.

Life and experiences work best when shared with other people. My hope is to create new ways of promoting and maintaining valuable shared experiences.

“Where do [you] want to be in five or ten years? Do [you] want to die with the most toys, or do [you] want to die with the best life and experiences?” -Tibor Kalman