My research topic: Social Justice and Politics
5 Projects that inspire me:
1. Movers and Shakers - Monument Project (2020) - AR
I really love this project because it tackles the idea of recognizing underrepresented communities. They have a catalog of augmented reality monuments of women, people of color and the LGBTQIA+ icons. I thought this was a great project because they challenge the issue of having statues of people that are problematic. They want to highlight people who have actually made a difference in a way that is accessible for a lot of people to view
2. NYT - Detailed Map of the 2020 Election (2021) - Data Visualization
I got really involved in election stats this year and the NYT just came out with this map where you can see how certain areas vote while also comparing it to the 2016 election. I was intrigued by this project because they found a way to make data a lot more interesting to look at and a lot easier to understand.
3. Me Too Movement - Survivor Stories Animations (2019) - Motion Graphics
I really loved this project because they were really able to tell a story through the animation. I liked how the animation added to the survivors voices instead of distracting from them. I think it is a really good example of creating visual elements that add to a narrative instead of detract from it.
4. Cyark - Experience Stonewall Inn Riot (2019) - 3D Models/AR
This was a very immersive project. I think that it's amazing that they were able to take the stories of people from the riots and implement them in AR. It is so cool that you can take the stories anywhere and learn everything. I also really enjoy that you can hear the real voices of the people and the realistic models make you feel like you were actually there. I think this is a super effective way to re-live moments that have happened in the past.
5. Aljazeera - Know Their Names - By Alia Chughtai (2020) - Illustration
I thought this project was really impactful because it laid out so many stories. I couldn't find any other projects that dove really deep into people who lost their lives to police brutality. I think this is impactful because it is easy to interact with and easy to digest the information. I also love how they discussed the impact of their deaths and what happened in response to them.
20 Articles
"The goal is to make people uncomfortable, but to do it in a way where they’re still listening." - Glenn Cantave, founder of Movers and Shakers
“In order for us to achieve social justice, we need to start shifting people’s perspectives.” - Idris Brewster
“Communities of color do not have equal access to a lot of tech. We’re never in these rooms creating this tech and that’s a problem.” - Idris Brewster
4. Pew Research - "23% of users in U.S. say social media led them to change views on an issue; some cite Black Lives Matter"
"Social media users who identify as Democrats and independents who lean toward the Democratic Party are slightly more likely than their Republican and GOP-leaning counterparts to say they have changed their views on an issue because of something they saw on these platforms"
5. The New Yorker - "The Second Act of Social-Media Activism"
"These networks suggest that digital activism has entered a second act, in which the tools of the Internet have been increasingly integrated into the hard-won structure of older movements."
"Augmented reality can be efficiently utilized to inform people about various issues in a highly interactive way. For instance, a political party can create an AR-enabled mobile app that shows location-based data such as crime data, development information and indices as a timeline reflecting development done over time during a particular elected official’s tenure." - Amit Agrawal
"Such apps can not only deliver more information, but also create more touchless encounters, like replacing shared paper menus at restaurants with virtual ones."
8. The Atlantic - "Social Media Are Ruining Political Discourse"
"Conspiracism flourishes on social media. In part that’s because it’s so easy to tweet or upload. But the flow-oriented structure of social media also fosters conspiracism."
"Interactive maps mean a different level of reader engagement. It’s a situation where the reader benefits from interacting with the page"
"The IR magazine created a non-partial educational app to scan political campaign ads on the street and gain information on the party and candidates. It brought to light any improprieties on the candidates’ side, scandals, voting history, and more."
11. AR Post - "Influence of Virtual Reality on Election Campaigns"
"The power of VR as an election campaign medium could be used as a tool for cultural and political empathy. This means connecting with potential voters in a personal way, and using this to sway votes."
12. Mayville University - "A Guide to Activism in the Digital Age"
"The power of social media can amplify voices, instantaneously spread information, and increase collaboration across diverse groups of people."
"Slideshows usually advocate for legitimate causes, but the potential for misinformation still exists"
14. Beonair - "THE ROLE OF DIGITAL MEDIA IN SOCIAL JUSTICE REFORM"
15. Camera IQ - "AR: A Medium for Social Change"
16. BuiltIN - "HOW ART CO-OP, CRUX, USES VR TO AMPLIFY BLACK VOICES"
17. Medium - "Justice Factory: Data Visualizations For Empathy"
18. World Economic Forum - "This app uses augmented reality to rewrite ‘herstory"
19. TedX - "Racism has a cost for everyone"
20. Cult of Pedagogoy - "A Collection of Resources for Teaching Social Justice"
5 projects from the past 10 years
5 project from before the past 10 years
Research Questions
-How can Augmented Reality change activism?
-What role does Augmented Reality in politics?
-Can social media influence social justice movements?
-What is the best way to teach younger kids about Social Justice?
-What role will AR play in the next 10 years?
-Who are some stakeholders in AR?
-Can social media posts create a social movement?
