Physical vs. Digital Participation
When I began writing this post, I wanted to talk about how social media is changing the way we think about architectural participation. However, it circled around in my head to some thoughts on the way we participate in this class – blogging. Along with most other parts of our daily lives, communication, and specifically the spread of personal opinion, has moved to the digital social world.
I have to ask the question - which is the best method of participation for our class – in-class discussion or blogging? Just on a hunch, I think that we would have differing opinions within our group. For me, I would much prefer an in-person discussion, however, those only last as long as the breath it took to speak one’s mind. In contrast, with the posts in digital format, we are able to come back, comment, and formulate a more formal response to the issues raised.
If we start to apply this notion to architectural participation, and specifically the public charrette format, does something more tangible and permanent provide more equity in participation than an open forum discussion? Or, just like in our class, do different users have preferences that should be respected and represented in the overall participatory endeavor?
There is much more to this comparison, the physical interaction vs. digital forum. We all know that person on Instagram or Facebook who shares every opinion they have ever had, from their love life to what they had for breakfast. The digital is a somewhat safe space because of the loss of physical connection, and people feel free to speak their minds. Also, the digital factors out any hierarchy that could influence the substance of the conversation, placing each participant on an equal playing field. At the same time though, that equal playing field factors out the face time, and you lose any personal connection between the participants that you would gain in a physical discussion environment.
Ultimately, both methods could be fruitful depending on the situation, however, a digital format does last forever. We have asked a good bit in class when does participation end, and as we begin to engage digital methods of participation, mainly through social media, the participation can last throughout the entire design process.
And what does this mean for our class participation? I need to learn to like blogging.
I have to ask the question - which is the best method of participation for our class – in-class discussion or blogging? Just on a hunch, I think that we would have differing opinions within our group. For me, I would much prefer an in-person discussion, however, those only last as long as the breath it took to speak one’s mind. In contrast, with the posts in digital format, we are able to come back, comment, and formulate a more formal response to the issues raised.
If we start to apply this notion to architectural participation, and specifically the public charrette format, does something more tangible and permanent provide more equity in participation than an open forum discussion? Or, just like in our class, do different users have preferences that should be respected and represented in the overall participatory endeavor?
There is much more to this comparison, the physical interaction vs. digital forum. We all know that person on Instagram or Facebook who shares every opinion they have ever had, from their love life to what they had for breakfast. The digital is a somewhat safe space because of the loss of physical connection, and people feel free to speak their minds. Also, the digital factors out any hierarchy that could influence the substance of the conversation, placing each participant on an equal playing field. At the same time though, that equal playing field factors out the face time, and you lose any personal connection between the participants that you would gain in a physical discussion environment.
Ultimately, both methods could be fruitful depending on the situation, however, a digital format does last forever. We have asked a good bit in class when does participation end, and as we begin to engage digital methods of participation, mainly through social media, the participation can last throughout the entire design process.
And what does this mean for our class participation? I need to learn to like blogging.
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