MAS 961 · Designing Sociable Media
Instructor: Judith Donath

5.02 · domestic space

readings

assignment   · observations here

Communication technologies in the home can transform the daily rhythms and interactions of the family; conversely, the needs and habits of the inhabitants shape the way the technology is used - as a tool for leisure or work, a labor saving or labor creating device etc.

1. Please read the articles.

2a. For one full day, observe how you communicate with other people in your home: those you talk to directly, those you talk to on the phone, those who communicate with you by writing articles you read or by starring on TV shows that you watch, those you leave notes for.

3. Write a diary of this day and its at home communications. How much of this communication is direct vs. mediated, how much with friends and how much with strangers? What are the contexts of these communications - is there a known ritual? a novel experience?

Please submit the URL of your observations by Monday evening. Copies of the readings are available outside of E15-449.