Author(s)/Creator(s)

Hanzang Lai
Phang Lim

Document Type

Thesis, Senior

Degree

B. ARCH

Date

Spring 5-2021

Keywords

Communication, residence, social design, technology, VR

Language

English

Disciplines

Architectural Technology | Cultural Resource Management and Policy Analysis | Human Ecology | Place and Environment | Urban, Community and Regional Planning | Work, Economy and Organizations

Description/Abstract

This thesis explores how the exponential growth in communication technology is changing the way we interact with the tangible and intangible spaces. The invasion of the public into the private, the collective into the domestic, the work into the leisure, and the ability to be constantly connected wirelessly have caused a dissolution of the physical domestic space. The domestic space has lost its value of privacy and intimacy and the boundary between the binaries will be no more. The gap between “the control” and “controlled” has widened and productive workers will be oppressed to be even more productive under the aid of communication technology. The house is a place of production that is less defined by the tangible, but rather with the objects and technology within itself. The rise in communication technology has enabled us to do things that we never thought possible and the definition of the hearth in the domestic have evolved drastically. The hearth which used to be the fireplace in the house has evolved into a technologically advanced device that enables us to communicate and participate virtually as a collective. This thesis critiques the growth in communication technology and how it threatens the value of privacy within the domestic space. Technology companies such as Google and Facebook exploit its users by manipulating their personal information to their own benefit. These companies are virtual empires that are built upon user’s data and could influence every inch of the globe. However, despite knowing that their personal information is being exploited, users are still using these communication technologies as a means of connection. A survey by the Pew Research Center shows that six-in-ten Americans believe it is not possible to go through daily life without having their data collected by private companies or the government; most are willing to share their data if they get something in return. The thesis envisions a dystopian future where users are prisoners to their technologies. The project addresses issues such as privacy and domesticity in a satirical way by constructing a “tech company” and how it uses strategies to capitalize on its users.

Source

submission

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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