You protect your children in almost every way, but
imagine there was a way to filter their online activity
allowing you to steer them towards certain interests,
hobbies, and even future careers.
An eery, design fiction that will make you question
your children’s online activity, the ethics of online
censorship and ‘Big Tech’s’ influence on our lives.
This project explores the issues of online censoring,
helicopter parenting and “Big Tech’s” influence on our lives.
The feeling of unease while watching the video is intended
and a key feature of the dystopian experience. The technology
required to achieve such a service exists and fits snug
in your hand, daily.
In 2014, Facebook proved that they could manipulate the
emotional state of users by filtering the content they were
shown. Have we forgotten about the power “Big Tech” can
hold over us? Or do we choose to ignore it post-pandemic?
The creation of such design fictions is an important tool
for dealing with social and ethical issues as it fuels
contemplation and debate, allowing us to be conscious of
issues we want to avoid in the future.
While I do agree that speculative design needs to break out
of the area of dystopian, sci-fi scenarios and be applied to
a real world setting away from entertainment or the gallery, I
do believe the creation of design fictions is important to
spread awareness of this area of design and to question
the world in which we live.
