Assignment 2: Data Future Scenario: Two elements – practical (20%) and written report

(30%). Students will create a practical work using their existing production skills such as a
short podcast or video (4mins maximum), a glitch art piece, an interactive map, or other kind
of data visualization. The practical work will be accompanied by the short, written analysis
‘Data Future Scenario Report’. This 1,000-word report is submitted with and accompanies
the Data Future Scenario practical. It is a short, written analysis that grounds the practical
work in the module’s theoretical framework [LO 1, 2] 50%

Assignment 2
Detail, Assessment Criteria, Marking Scheme
Assignment 2: Data Future Scenario
For this two-part assignment, you will do the following:
1) ‘Data Future Scenario Practical’: Using your existing production skills,
create a speculative ‘data future’ scenario. This can be any practical work
you wish, provided you have the skills to execute it, e.g. podcast (4
minutes maximum), performance art, data visualisation etc.
2) You will accompany this with the ‘Data Future Scenario Report’. This is a
short, written analysis of 1,000-words, which grounds the practical work in
the module’s theoretical framework. Both pieces of work are to be
submitted together.
Your ‘Data Future Scenario Practical’ should be a detailed presentation of a
speculative future, in which data systems and technologies are ubiquitous and
central to everyday life. It can be a dystopia, utopia, or anything in between.
However, the key requirement is that you will reflect on the ideas and existing
projects that you have come across so far in this modules, and relate to the
present state of emerging technologies. In other words, even though you could
create a rather spectacular scenario of how the world or everyday domesticity
may be in the future, you should develop your scenario based on a logical
trajectory of technological innovation. This should not be an implausible future or
a future completely alienated from current developments in data science, databased
systems and emerging digital technologies. At the same time, your future
should not be entirely predictable and prescribed.
The scope of the project is to give you an opportunity to link the speculative with
the existing, and to critically think about contemporary issues around data
15
through the lenses of a technological future. This way you can rethink
contemporary presents (including cultural trends, imaginaries of technologies,
products and services), and ask the productive question ‘what if’.
(See also James Auger (2013): Speculative design: crafting the speculation,
Digital Creativity, DOI:10.1080/14626268.2013.767276)
Your ‘Data Future Scenario Report’ should answer the following questions:
1. WHAT? Describe the ‘Data Future Scenario practical’ under
investigation.
2. HOW and WHY? Address the major issues and themes from which
your scenario emerges.
3. SO WHAT? The social, economic, cultural, and technological
implications of your scenario.
4. (optional) WHAT IF? An alternative present, where the role of human
agency in creating futures becomes clear.
For example: WHAT: The possible future of human interactions influenced by
surveillance technologies and face recognition. HOW & WHY: biometrics and
face recognition systems affect people’s privacy. SO WHAT: Relying too much
on machines may affect our social lives to the point where autonomous machines
take over human reasoning. WHAT IF? What if people today became more
decisive about what content (personal photos) they share between platforms that
use face recognition and monitor where their images are spread/ intervene with
social media regulation about the use of children’s photos and so on.
IMPORTANT: notes on submission
The practical should be:
 uploaded on mediastream if it is streaming content (such as audio, video).
 If it is a visual (installation, map, coding) it should be presented on
Edublog - no external platform can be used for hosting student
16
assignments, as per University rules.
 Podcasts, documentaries etc. must be no more than 4 minutes long.
The written work should include a link to the practical work and the students need
to verify that the link is operational (working) at the time of submission. You
should provide the passwords (if applicable) with the written work before the
deadline. Failing to do so will mean that the work is marked as late submission