Getting Connected

Media Mimansa, Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication, Bhopal, INDIA, Vol. 5 No. 4 and Vol. 6 No. 1 (ISSN 2229-5593), 2013

During last one decade, mobile phones have changed the way human beings have been communicating with each other since centuries. All new technologies or innovations come in to use first and ethics related to the use of that technology follows it in the society. Same is the case of mobile phones world over. With the increasing number of cell phones, debate over the etiquette of using mobile phones is also gaining impetus across the globe. Recently in India also, government has directed all the mobile companies to educate its consumers about mobile etiquettes. This paper deals with two aspects of this debate, first what are key components comprising the ethics for mobile use. And second, what is the present level of awareness about mobile etiquette among mobile users. The paper argues that every civilized society has certain rules and regulations designed for dialogue among its members and because the mobile communication has just an extension of interpersonal communication in the society therefore existing rules for actual human communication will also guide the code and ethics for mobile users. Also this study is a small effort to explore about opinions and awareness level of mobile users about various elements of mobile users. The study concludes that though the level of awareness is not very high but more serious aspect of the data is that despite the knowledge of adverse impacts of mobile use a large number of people do not bother to follow few basic rules regarding mobile use.

Etikk i praksis, 2010

Of the many opportunities and affordances that mobile technologies bring to our day-to-day lives, the ability to cheat physical separation and remain accessible to each other-in an instant-also brings pressure to bear on well-established social conventions as to how we should act when we are engaged with others in shared spaces. In this paper we explore some ethical dimensions of mobile communication by considering the manner in which individuals in everyday contexts balance interpretations of emergent social conventions with personal desires to connect in the moment. As we later discuss, the decisions made in response to a ringing mobile phone or flashing text message emerge from consequential versus deontological ethical frames used to determine what to do versus what we ought to do. This is particularly true in western and North American cultural contexts from which our data are collected. Using Goffman's dramaturgy, we suggest that these conflicts occurring on an individual level provide evidence of social structure, and are simultaneously entwined with our less obvious ruminations on the maintenance of social order.

Human–Computer Interaction Series

This chapter examines key ethical considerations and challenges of designing and researching touch technologies, with a focus on incorporating ethical touch sensitivities and values into digital touch communication. We discuss the difficulty of researching and designing ethically in the context of an emerging technological landscape, as reflected in wider HCI ethics debate. The chapter then explores the central role of the human body as site for digital touch communication, before focusing on key challenges around trust, control, consent, and tactile data. In line with preceding chapters, we argue that digital touch practices are part of, and impact on, wider social relations and communications. The kinds of touch practices and relations designed into touch technologies bring with them implications for power relations and social cohesion, and it is these wider processes that digital touch design is able to-at least in parts-anticipate and shape. We close with a summary of key points and their implications for research and design.

Proc. CHI 2015, 2015

Most Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) researchers are accustomed to the process of formal ethics review for their evaluation or field trial protocol. Although this process varies by country, the underlying principles are universal. While this process is often a formality, for field research or lab-based studies with vulnerable users, formal ethics requirements can be challenging to navigate – a common occurrence in the social sciences; yet, in many cases, foreign to HCI researchers. Nevertheless, with the increase in new areas of research such as mobile technologies for marginalized populations or assistive technologies, this is a current reality. In this paper we present our experiences and challenges in conducting several studies that evaluate interactive systems in difficult settings, from the perspective of the ethics process. Based on these, we draft recommendations for mitigating the effect of such challenges to the ethical conduct of research. We then issue a call for interaction researchers, together with policy makers, to refine existing ethics guidelines and protocols in order to more accurately capture the particularities of such field-based evaluations, qualitative studies, challenging lab-base evaluations, and ethnographic observations.

Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2016

In the HCI community, there is growing recognition that a reflective and empathetic approach is needed to conduct ethical research in sensitive settings with people who might be considered vulnerable or marginalized. At our CHI 2015 workshop on ethical encounters, researchers shared personal stories of the challenges and tensions they have faced when conducting HCI research in complex settings such as hospitals, with young mental health patients, in schools for children with disabilities, and with homeless people. These research contexts can present significant challenges for HCI researchers who would not typically receive the training that other professionals working in these environments would normally receive. From our discussions with attendees at the CHI 2015 workshop, we identified a number of ethical issues that researchers are grappling with. In this follow-up workshop we aim to build on the lessons learned and to generate pragmatic but sensitive solutions to manage complex ethical issues for HCI researchers working in challenging settings.

2010

Of the many opportunities and affordances that mobile technologies bring to our day-to-day lives, the ability to cheat physical separation and remain accessible to each other—in an instant—also brings pressure to bear on well-established social conventions as to how we should act when we are engaged with others in shared spaces.

We expect that by 2017, 85% of the world’s population will be covered by a commercial wireless signal (1). Wireless networks cross state borders. However, ethics and governance mechanisms for virtual technology are still unclear, and particularly so for apps on hand-held devices. Interviewed by: Lindsay Kobayashi of PLOS Public Health Perspectives

The Moral Economy of Mobile Phones, 2018

Her research focuses upon understanding how digital media, technology and other forms of material culture mediate relationships, communication, learning, mobility and our sense of being human. Her co-authored and co-edited books examining these themes include The Cell Phone:

Extended Abstracts of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2020

We seek to engage a broad and diverse audience in discussing emerging challenges in HCI technologies that have potential for significant social impact. In a town hall forum, members of the ACM Technology Policy Council will introduce four emerging challenges for discussion: ethical HCI in global contexts; privacy protection in human-AI interaction; accessible interactions in HCI design; and the environmental impact of HCI. Discussion will be launched with a question from the panel; additional questions will be posted and ranked from the audience. The session will support digital and remote audience participation, and participants will have access to a summary report when the session concludes. These discussions provide an opportunity for CHI members to contribute to emerging policy and governing environments to facilitate ethical, accessible, and environmentally sensitive HCI research, design, and development.

Leonardo, 2014

This paper will examine what has been learned through three years of research by an interdisciplinary university laboratory investigating ethical design and media. The University of New Mexico’s Social Media Workgroup (SMW) is an environment in which faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, and outside experts work in interdisciplinary collaborative teams to design and develop a wide variety of media tools, assets and events including the large-scale projection work Particle Falls visualizing real-time air quality in San Jose, California, and a permanent public work at the University of Utah, E-Oculus.