chris woebken

sensual interfaces talk @ MIT Media Lab 23. Oct 2008

existential data and me

New services offer possibilities to detect people that belong to similar biological footprint is through the means of tools like DNA synthesis and sharing this information on social-networks. This year companies developed features allowing people to then link their personalized pages to those of others who share their DNA—fellow sprinters, say, or people at risk for Alzheimer’s.

Those new analytical tools also challenge the way we think about design, far beyond creating enhancing objects towards designing for systems, the invisible and the personal relationships. Technology is becoming more and more liquid and embedded in the body. Paul Virillo: “Why send technology into space when we can launch it in our bodies?”

 As an self-experiment, I ordered the kit to sequence my own DNA. It took me a few weeks to actually decide to go ahead and do the test. Do I really want to find out about my genetic footprint? What are the consequences of looking at the results when I suddenly realize I have a high chance of developing cancer in between 30-40? The package itself says: “you may learn information about yourself that you do not anticipate… this information has the potential to alter your life and worldview.”

 My research explores how we interact with this data as it gets more and more available. A few years ago it would have been impossible to do curiosity tests. Would people start sequencing other peoples DNA for curiosity, or query those databases looking for the worst DNA and the most income people to make profit out of this information? Would your behavior change once you know about your Drug Addiction level or HI-Virus resistance factor?

Through companies converging biological information and behavior data-streams it is possible to generate new insights and also to identify needs, develop belief systems and new business-models, not just in the medical realm. What are the insights from that data, how valuable is that information and what are the consequences? How much of how much of DNA synthesis and the risk level prediction is just believe in technology or preprogrammed destiny? Also I am interested in managing risk. Most products are designed to decrease risk, but retaining some risk can be beneficial. With risk comes trust, responsibility, and attention. 

When is receiving this information actually meaningful and in which live event could it change your lifestyle, behavior and worldview? If you do an HIV test through the NHS today, you receive the result through a text message that says you are OK. If you don’t receive the text-message you probably have been tested positive.

I am exploring we need to develop a new language of interfacing with this very personal and existential information, and create an experience re-facilitating interactions like giving a letter to someone else to read when we are afraid of opening it ourselves.