Post no. 8
According to my proposal, I have stated that majority of my research will be done online rather than first-hand experience with the wearable technology itself and their experts.
There aren't many books published on Wearable Technology as it is considered a relatively new trend. However, I have had a shift of mindset through recent tutorials with Daniel and my past experience with my previous essay on holograms.
I could apply old theories or manipulate them, or decode them to see if it fits to my needs. Old theories like Mc Luhan, Plato's Cave and The Uncanny Valley are ancient! Somehow, I managed to apply Masahiro Mori's theory of the Uncanny Valley toward the realness of holograms although they were initially used to analysed the aesthetics of robotics instead.
Divergence and mixtures of cross-overlapping theories would help me with the ideas of this trend. Transhumanism, Cyborgism? I would see how each theory contradict each other and would come to a suitable conclusion after analyzing it from all perspectives. In my previous essay, I even stated my doubts on the theory itself.
So what are the ethical concerns that I could have with this paper? And how would I solve it?
1. The information may be biased.
Articles on the internet tend to be very biased, often leaning more to a side than the other. I sometimes question their credibility and purpose of writing such articles. Are they doing it to gain popularity by leaning toward a certain side so much where it could sound convincing enough to the on-the-fence thinkers? Recruiting them into their army of biased thinkers? Or is it that their lack of research of the overall trend and influences from ignorant peers drive their emotions into writing such a biased article? Maybe they're just gossip columns meant to make things exciting.
I was definitely one of them so I do have the right to judge. Haha.
I usually read the articles twice first with an open mind, uninfluenced by anyone. After reading it twice, I draw my conclusion and compare them with the comments below if there are any.
However, when I do read an article, I try to not find points which drives my arguments further as this could also in turn, intensify my own personal bias on the issue. On the other hand, I read these articles informatively. Are they mentioning anything new? Are there any new innovations, ideas or marketing strategies to get these Wearable Tech into mainstream culture?
To clarify the arguments I stated in my proposal, I would separate my informative research and my argumentative research into different compartments. They both have a very thin line that could disrupt the entire flow of the essay. I would have to thread carefully when analyzing these arguments as they are, of course, biased toward their own ideas.
2. The legitimacy of these sources.
MIT and IHS have been my primary source so far, as they are both legitimate.
I remember trying to site John Bilton(2010) where Technology is classified into 5 classes. I later discovered that he has been cited by a few papers but are not distinguished or well-known enough. All I got from the internet about John Bilton was that he was just a football coach of some sort. I was disheartened because his ideas fit my agenda so perfectly.
I would probably rephrase and tweak them so that I would still have the chance to use them as my personal conclusion. Nevertheless, they were really good thoughts sown into my mind.
3. The inability to consume the information first-hand, as I have to physically hold and experience the Wearable Technology in order to fully understand and evaluate its experience.
This is definitely a drawback, but I do try to get my hands on any form of Wearable Technology if I had the chance to. I'd visit Samsung shops to try out their Galaxy Gear, ask my friends about their experience with the Google Glass and such. I know this would not be enough, and I would only have to depend on videos, articles, reviews online. I did work with wearable technology in my previous project LIVETAGS, which granted me a great opportunity to understand the users and their interactions.
4. Learned theories from contextual studies may not apply. May need to look into other fields such as psychology or sociology for theories.
My topic deals with crowd participation and interaction with both technology, and each other. The theories that I have learned may not touch on these areas. Pour example, the psychology of colours. What prompts users to raise their cellphones and lighters during a concert? Competitors like Xyloband change the colours of the bands that the crowd wears during the concert. It effects moods.
5. The Wearable Tech trend is not at its mature state where it has enough research done to it. In other words, lack of resources.
Provided the internet, one can never have too few resources. That is one of the grave advantages I could ever exploit. My essay topic is about large crowds and wearable media. Obviously, the buyers of these form of Wearable Tech are only limited to event organizers and concert planners. They are not to be sold directly to the consumers. Therefore, this essay may not be able to relate enough to its readers, which compromises most of end-consumers. (As I was told by Daniel in the previous tutorial session)
Notes
*Also, I would have to include the re-usability of these wearbles. Ah, another point which I could include in my essay.
* Keep my writing simple & sophisticated.
* wearable computers need to have their voice recognition feature to be more precise in order to really take off.
Ps. With this recently 'new' (it has been developed for decades now, people just started paying attention to it) trend, the possibilities and arguments are endless. I'm going to have a lot of fun with this paper.
RESEARCH ETHICS
"Why is Ethics approval important?
If the work you undertake as part of your studies in the School of Creative Arts involves the
participation of others, you will need to get the approval of the Faculty Ethics Committee (UH) by
completing an Application for Ethics Approval.
The Ethics committee is here to help protect you and others involved in your work.
The Application for Approval is designed to ensure that anyone who is involved in any aspect of
your studies is protected from harm or distress your work might cause and that you have designed
your project in such a way to ensure that participants are aware of what you are doing, why you are
doing it, and they have given informed consent that they are willing to participate."
From my understanding of the research ethics document provided from the school, I would need to consider the well being of others if I were to involve them win my project or during my project development stage. This includes interviews with professionals which I would have to conduct for this assignment.
I would need to protect their privacy and the accuracy of their statements as well.
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