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November 2022
Society Against Violence & Abuse
Critical Design UX Research
Group Project
Akhilesh B, Denise D'souza, Disha Pradhan, Kaavya Shankar
Srishti Institute Of Art, Design & Tech
Partner Collab Project
Project Context
Exploring potential solutions to reduce cyber abuse against women and others on social media using principles from critical research
This is a research-based project that addresses violence and abuse against women through critical research frameworks and coming up with potential solutions that could combat this in cyberspace, particularly Instagram.
It involves research on critical frameworks, and collaboration with MAVA (Men Against Violence & Abuse), a non-profit organization in Mumbai, India.
Critical Design
An Introduction
What Is Critical Design?
It is an approach that uses a perspective on research that addresses social inequities and power dynamics among social groups in society. It particularly focuses on analyzing or critiquing the information found rather than just perceiving it as plain information.
Prior to reading and analyzing the works and ideas of three renowned critical theorists, the assignment began with comprehension of the significance of critical design and critical research.
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Critical Frameworks
To support the critiquing process, a few critical concepts were used from three different theorists that proved to be useful lenses to better understand what we were looking at. The introduction to this method of research and critical concepts began with a paper by Michael D. Myers and Heinz K. Klein.
This further led to the introduction of Bourdieu, Foucault and Habermas, whose critical lineages were deeply studied and applied to the context.
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A Critical Perspective On V&A In Society
The context mainly dealt with gender-based violence (GBV) and gender inequalities. We were expected to understand this area through the lens of critical concepts and develop an overall problem statement and explore possible solutions for the same keeping in mind the now and the future.
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Through The Lens Of Critical Theories
We, as a group, critically examined various theories through in-depth discussions. It took us over a week to grasp these concepts as we were new to them. By the end of the week, we had a clear understanding of the theories and works of Bourdieu, Foucault, and Habermas.
As designers, we recognize the significance of critical theories and how utilizing critical design can aid in combating violence and abuse in society. Critical research encompasses three crucial elements: insight, critique, and transformation.
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Pierre Bourdieu
French sociologist
Bourdieu's theory posits that individuals and groups hold different forms of capital, and the unequal distribution of capital leads to the creation of hierarchies and power dynamics within social fields.
The symbolic capital of certain individuals or groups allows them to define what is considered acceptable behavior and in some cases, it may make violence an acceptable form of behavior. Individuals and groups that hold more symbolic capital may be such that violence is seen as a legitimate means of achieving their goals and as a result, they may be more likely to engage in violent behavior.
Foucault's concept of the Panopticon model is a theoretical framework that can be used to understand the mechanisms of social control and the ways in which power operates within society.
The Panopticon is a prison design that was first proposed by Jeremy Bentham in the 18th century. It is a circular building with an observation. It was used to understand social control and power structures influencing self surveillance.
Michel Foucault
French Philsopher
Habermas developed the concepts of "systems" and "lifeworld" to understand how society functions. "Systems" refer to formal aspects of society such as economy, government, legal system, whereas "lifeworld" refers to informal and communicative aspects such as culture, traditions and social interactions.
These concepts can be useful in understanding how both formal and informal aspects of society contribute to violence against women and girls and in developing strategies to prevent it.
Jürgen Habermas
Philsopher
Detailing Research Findings
The broad context of gender based violence was divided into 3 subcategories, out of which 1 would later be closely studied.
Role of internet or media as a safe space and the flip sides of it for women
The actions of people on social media and other online platforms are simply a mirror of who they are in real life. Social media was intended to be a platform where underrepresented groups, such as women, Dalits, and religious minorities, would have an equal chance to be heard. Many females don't think so. Women on social media are subjected to a storm of abuse every day, including rape threats and racist and sexist remarks.
Understanding social reproduction, closer look at the history of V&A
Women's subordination to men and the idea of patriarchy have long existed in our society. The reproduction of socio-cultural ideals, which established the notion that "all women needed wise male counsel and cautious male direction," was made possible by cultural literature from numerous religions. These kinds of religious and cultural ideas are what perpetuate patriarchy, violence, and abuse throughout society and culture.
Necessity for power structures, and how they can be broken
In our predominantly masculine society, men make most of the decisions regarding women and other genders. It is deemed socially acceptable to normalize the abuse of power through violence and abuse in the name of discipline (in many cases, even legally). The hostile environment that has been created for women due to the imposition of power structures that favor men has made it necessary to understand them and how they could be broken.
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Detailing Research Findings
MAVA (Men Against Violence & Abuse) is a non-profit organization in Mumbai, India that aims to work with men and boys to prevent GBV. Most of MAVA's work depends on bringing about a change in men's attitude when it comes to women's treatment. It does so by creating a healthy and supportive environment where young boys and men get mentored. Changing the dynamics of the male peer support system through conversations that attempt to break social reproduction is something MAVA is known for.
MAVA's work was closely studied through various critical lenses that questioned the eeffectiveness of their methods in tackling GBV. Once MAVA came into the picture, it was critiqued at every phase of the process since it was one of the main pointers for this project.
Transformation
The transformation process came next in our critical investigation. This phase involved brainstorming and developing revolutionary ideas after thoroughly comprehending the current issues in our society and reflecting on the history of violence and abuse that has existed in it. Some of the areas for transformation that were considered are as follows:
01
To make individuals of dominant groups aware of how they take part in social
reproduction when the exert power over oppressed groups unknowingly through everyday conversations and practices
03
Looking at forced marriages as a contextand help perpetrators to not underminewomen's opinion unless she is supported by a man who defends her choices.
02
Encouraging conversations, addressing
parents since they have strong influences on children's mindsets that aid social reproduction of prejudices about gender, sexuality, normalization of domestic abuse in the family, etc.
04
Creating a safe space for women toexpress their thoughts freely, limiting and preventing online abuse and harassment
Narrowing Down The Objective
The one area that stood out the most was online harassment. This was something that wasn’t being taken seriously enough and the victims are offered little support in terms of laws and regulations. Moreover, there was not much information regarding MAVA’s approach towards cases of online harassment.
MAVA wasn’t holding any sessions online and didn’t have a very strong social media presence either. An attempt was made to see whether MAVA’s primary model of addressing men could be applied in tackling online harassment against gender and non-hetero sexual identities.
Transformation
The transformation process came next in our critical investigation. This phase involved brainstorming and developing revolutionary ideas after thoroughly comprehending the current issues in our society and reflecting on the history of violence and abuse that has existed in it. Some of the areas for transformation that were considered are as follows:
S.C.A.M.P.E.R
The transformation process came next in our critical investigation. This phase involved brainstorming and developing revolutionary ideas after thoroughly comprehending the current issues in our society and reflecting on the history of violence and abuse that has existed in it. Some of the areas for transformation that were considered are as follows:
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Finalising Ideas
It was crucial to consider how these concepts would help Instagram while debating them. We didn't want to develop concepts that couldn't be put into practice. Knowing that Instagram is a large corporation, the group considered strategies for growing their user base and generating revenue. Therefore, from the start, we wanted to make sure that our suggestions contributed to Instagram becoming a safer place while also benefiting Instagram.
Final Ideas
01
Modify the account creation process, which would make users take policies and code of conduct seriously
Modifying reporting process via country / region so it can adhere differently to different regional language and regional slurs
03
Eliminate the possibility for people with verified accounts or high social capital to benefit from reporting systems
05
Modify the user's accessibility to certain features after being reported for a certain number of times
02
Reverse reporting system by putting abuser through harrowing steps that usually abused person needs to
04
"Sensitive Content" warning modificaiton
06
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Interested ?
Click on the link below to view more screens.
42e339d62bba.filesusr.com/ugd/8aa2d8_6c74e413e0e947e58a24d60b98072240.pdf
Every great design has an even better story. Ping me and let's exchange few stories :)
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