Social Technologies: The Changing Nature of Participation in Design

Discusses the development of user participation in the design of social technologies, which is defined as the combination of mobile and online tools, systems, and hardware that enable and encourage contribution from users; this includes social media such as Facebook and Twitter, personal blogs, community and campaigning sites, instant messaging, and mobile phone applications such as SMS and MMS. The authors report on their research on self-reporting techniques making use of social technologies as tools for self-documentation. Participants used multi-media picture messages and video to create 'Mobile Diaries' to share how the particular design topic, such as sustainability or personal health, was experienced in their lives. Studies were participant-led in decisions on what to capture, and how collected material was interpreted; the activity of creating the diaries brought a community of users into existence. 3 outcomes were identified as being enabled by the use of social technologies: the capacity for participants to socialise the research; the ability to bridge existing and future practices; and the potential to develop seed content. Ethical issues of privacy, ownership, and opting-out are briefly noted.