Race and Digital Sanctuary in 2018 America
Maya Wiley, Senior Vice President for Social Justice at The New School and a nationally recognized digital equity advocate, shared her perspective in a talk, Race and Digital Sanctuary in 2018 America at #SXSW.
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Maya Wiley, Senior Vice President for Social Justice at The New School and a nationally recognized digital equity advocate, and Greta Byrum, who co-directs the Digital Equity Lab with Wiley, shared their perspectives in a talk, Race and Digital Sanctuary in 2018 America at #SXSW.
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New School faculty members and alumni talked design and technology for social change at Make A Dent In Changing The World For The Better: Happy Hour with The New School at #SXSW.
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Nora Rahimian, MA International Affairs '12, at Make A Dent In Changing The World For The Better: Happy Hour with The New School at #SXSW.
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New School faculty members and alumni talked design and technology for social change at Make A Dent In Changing The World For The Better: Happy Hour with The New School at #SXSW.
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New School faculty members and alumni talked design and technology for social change at Make A Dent In Changing The World For The Better: Happy Hour with The New School at #SXSW.
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Peter Asaro, Associate Professor of Media Studies at the School of Media Studies, discusses A.I. and ethics at the XPRIZE Futurecasting Workshop at SXSW.
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Ed Keller, Associate Professor of Design Strategies and Director of the Center for Transformative Media, discusses leveraging A.I. to design equitable future states at the XPRIZE Futurecasting Workshop at SXSW.
XPRIZE Futurecasting Workshop
Eiko Ikegami, Walter A Eberstadt Professor of Sociology at The New School for Social Research, discusses researching adults with autism in the virtual world of Second Life at XPRIZE Futurecasting Workshop at SXSW.
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Maya Wiley, Senior Vice President for Social Justice at The New School, joined a panel discussion, Making Cities Inclusive, Equitable, and Sustainable.
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Grace Jun, MFA Design and Technology ‘16, executive director at Open Style Lab, presented technology-based wearable solutions for people of all abilities at SXSW. (Photo / Kilian Son)
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Julia Liao, Product Design ‘17, shared an accessory she designed with her client, Christina Mallon, which allows Mallon to swipe her MetroCard at the subway turnstile. She gave a presentation at Open Style Lab's activation at SXSW. (Photo / Kilian Son)
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Leah Schrager, MFA Fine Arts '15, discussed a new generation of women artists are using the Internet and images of their own bodies to construct elaborate online personas as artistic projects at #NSFW: Feminist Artists on Sex & Digital Identity at SXSW.
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The New School + #SXSW: Faculty and Alumni Share Perspectives on Technology for Social Good
The exuberance for new design and technology has been a dominant feature of #SXSW, with thousands of badge-wielding attendees lining up to see the latest innovations in artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality and gaming at the annual conference in Austin, Texas.
But the enthusiasm has dimmed this year as the downsides of technology — including the failure of social media to deal with the damaging effects of fake news and the dangers of artificial intelligence — have raised concerns about the industry’s prospects.
At #SXSW, The New School — a progressive university committed to confronting real-world problems through design — emerged as a leading voice on this issue. In presentations and workshops throughout the conference, faculty members and alumni called for a critical examination of the ethics informing the design and implementation of new technologies. They argued that by applying a human-centered lens to the latest innovations, we can better people’s lives and build a better future.
New School thought leaders on ethics and technology included Maya Wiley, Senior Vice President for Social Justice, who spoke on the need for digital sanctuary and the expansion of broadband access for low-income communities of color; New School faculty members Eiko Ikegami, Peter Asaro, and Ed Keller, who explored ways that artificial intelligence can be used for social good during a workshop with XPRIZE; Open Style Lab, a Parsons School of Design-housed organization that presented technology-based wearable solutions for people of all abilities; and a Parsons faculty-alum team that showcased a project — a portable shelter for Syrian refugees — that was named an honorary winner of the SXSW EDU Learn by Design competition.
Despite the skepticism surrounding new technology, it’s not intrinsically harmful, faculty and alumni argued. It’s up to humans to decide how it’s used.
Additional alumni presenters and performers were Palika Makaa, MA International Affairs ’13; Kristen Naiman, BA Liberal Arts ’04; Debra Eisenstadt, MA Media Studies ’01 ; Alexis Lloyd, MFA Design and Technology ’07; Myrriah Gossett, MS Media Management ’17; Nora Rahimian, MA International Affairs ’12; Julie Whang, MS Nonprofit Management ’01; Leah Schrager, MFA Fine Arts ’15; Greg Rhem, MA Media Studies ’10; Samuel Snider-Held, MFA Design and Technology ’13; Caitlin Pickall, MFA Design and Technology ’17; Maryellis Bunn, BBA Strategic Design & Management ’14; Savannah Enright, BBA Strategic Design & Management ’07; Adriana Kertzer, MA History of Decorative Arts & Design ’13; Bryan Collinsworth, MFA Design and Technology ’16; Morgan Gildersleeve, BFA Illustration ’16; Sofia Colvin, BFA Photography ’16, Morgan Saint photographer; Tomas Uribe, MA Media Management ’15; and Julia Gorton, BFA Communication Design ’80.