“Influence of color design on the functionality of healthcare buildings, in particular the well-being of patients, relatives and staff”

Around 99 percent of all color information is processed unconsciously. Colors therefore have an effect on our experience and behavior, even if we do not see the cause.

Working memory does not allow us to hold more than seven units of information at a time, the so-called “Miller number”, which fluctuates up and down by barely more than two units. Imagine a color fan that works like a deck of cards. You draw several color cards from it, memorize the shades and then put them back. Most people are not able to remember more than seven colors. This applies equally to the capacity of color coding systems, which provide excellent orientation if we use no more than seven colors.

To increase our ability to remember colors, we can create harmonic keyboards or think of combinations that tell little stories. We do this very often in everyday life without realizing it. That’s why we have no problem remembering the national colors of countries, the emblem colors of sports clubs or the corporate colors of companies.

There is broad agreement in brain research regarding the criteria by which the prefrontal cortex selects what we actually see at the end of the processing procedure. We perceive colors and the content associated with them primarily when they move us emotionally and interest us in terms of content. (Axel Buether “The mysterious power of colors. How they influence our behavior and feelings.”)

When: November 16, 2022, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Where: Core Oldenburg, Heiligengeiststraße 6-8, 26121 Oldenburg
For more information and to register, visit: pflegedirektion@klinikum-oldenburg.de

Der Beitrag Lecture at the symposium “Interprofessional design of dementia sensitivity in hospitals” erschien zuerst auf Farbpsychologie.

As a young stonemason and stone sculptor, I spent a lot of time restoring church buildings a few decades ago. Every morning I was able to witness the creation of an atmospheric world of light and color in the interior of huge cathedrals, which disappeared again at dusk. It was clear to me that I had to discover the secret of these atmospheric spaces of light and color.

Over the past decades, my path has led me from the creative disciplines of architecture, design and art to the research field of perceptual psychology. To this day, I dedicate my life to color, whether as a professor of visual communication, chairman of the German Color Center or author of numerous publications and radio broadcasts.

We perceive colors with all our senses. Colors not only give our environment its shapes, surfaces and spatiality, they also convey messages and instructions that exert enormous power over our lives. Using our most important color as an example, we take a look at why and how we see colors. Using the color red as an example, they learn about the power that colors exert on our lives, what they mean for our everyday lives, health and well-being, and our culture.

Date and time Lecture: November 23, 7 p.m. as part of the thematic focus “A dream in red”

Venue:

MONREPOS, Archaeological Research Center and Museum for Human Behavioral Evolution Monrepos Castle56567 Neuwied

Link to the organizer’s website

Der Beitrag UNDERSTAND COLOR – The natural and cultural effects of the color red erschien zuerst auf Farbpsychologie.

Housing construction is currently a high priority because there is a shortage of living space, particularly in cities and their surrounding areas. In this situation, it is particularly important to keep an eye not only on housing requirements, but also on quality and sustainability in construction. After all, the built environment has a strong influence on well-being and health.

The 19th Construction Forum “Building and Health” on July 2, 2019 in Mainz is dedicated to this important topic and explores the question of which key factors have a decisive influence on good housing and living conditions.

The conference will be opened by the Rhineland-Palatinate Finance and Construction Minister Doris Ahnen and with a highly topical lecture by Prof. Dr. Lambia Messari-Becker on the subject of “Sustainable building – the durability of our actions”.

For further information on the program, please refer to the 19th _Bauforum_Conference flyer

Der Beitrag Color design in healthcare construction erschien zuerst auf Farbpsychologie.

Design expertise for the digital transformation

We live in an era of profound social transformation, characterized by global interconnectedness and technological innovation in all areas of life. The need to identify, represent, facilitate, and shape public interests amid the digital transformation of interconnected societies opens up new fields of action for designers. As a testing ground for new technologies and aesthetic practices, design is a powerful driving force behind sociocultural, economic, technological, scientific, and communicative progress. The professional profile of Public Interest Design increasingly requires social, communicative, media-educational, and transdisciplinary competencies, through which traditional strengths of design—such as problem-solving, form-giving, and information visualization—can be strategically expanded.
Design competence for the digital transformation requires that designers:

1. Understand the problems of digital change: Be able to detect public interests in ‘digital change’ using research methods and expertise, identify causes and analyze consequences
2. be able to present influencing factors of digital change in a generally understandable way: Identify problems associated with digital change, present them in an understandable way and link them to all key influencing factors
3. Being able to communicate effectively in networked societies: Initiating thematically relevant discourses, moderating participation and opinion-forming processes, developing ideas and concepts and identifying meaningful solutions
4. Be able to design solutions for digital change: Being able to search for, recognize, present, communicate and design solutions to problems in the field of digital transformation
5. be able to evaluate the consequences of digital transformations: Test the effectiveness of results using suitable methods and develop suggestions for improvement
6. Know current specialist knowledge on digitalization: Know the state of research in the knowledge field of digitalization of networked societies and be able to apply it in concrete project situations.
7. Be able to apply digital research methods: Formulate socially relevant research questions, use relevant sources of knowledge and experience, know and apply scientific methods and be able to present and evaluate results

Shaping the future of networked societies

The digital transformation of networked societies has only just begun. The consequences of this profound change in the world of work and life are just as unpredictable today as the transformative forces of mechanization and electrification were in their early days. Anyone who wants to successfully and sustainably shape public interests in the digital transformation process of modern societies must therefore first approach design from a meta-perspective. Trends that are the focus of public attention today can soon become undesirable again. According to previous design concepts, design interventions can only be successful if they are needed in the present and remain useful in the future. Digital transformation is a process in which reliable predictions are difficult and often impossible. Sustainability can hardly be achieved if technologies and application practices develop at a rapid pace. In order not to lose sight of this, complex development scenarios must be designed, which requires specialist knowledge and methodological expertise. Problems can increasingly only be solved indirectly, as they are characterized by the consequences of digital change, which creates different social, economic and cultural conditions.

Global networking, artificial intelligence and self-controlling machines are changing the framework conditions for the creation of our material and intellectual culture. Designers must therefore first perceive and analyze whether a problem can still be solved in the existing context or whether it might make more sense to redesign the framework conditions. Where ‘wicked problems’ or seemingly unsolvable problems arise, creative skills such as lateral thinking are required[1]. The strategic composition and moderation of creative workshops can mobilize unimagined human potential. Designers must learn to initiate participation processes using analogue and digital means in order to tap into knowledge and experience potential, mobilize creative forces and bring about collaborative action. Participatory projects and transdisciplinary work give rise to a new form of authorship, the value of which must be negotiated with clients and contractors alike. The price for the production of commissioned works is easier to calculate than the value of processes where the course, goal and benefits are unpredictable.

[1] cf. Protzen, Jean-Pierre and David J. Harris. The Universe of Design: Horst Rittel’s Theories of Design and Planning. Taylor & Francis Ltd 2010

Shaping the values and common benefits of digitalization

The public debate on digitalization today is marked by fears and euphoria similar to those that characterized the debate over the risks of electrification at the end of the 19th century.[1] The great technological revolutions of the modern era—such as mechanization, electrification, and digitalization—are nevertheless irreversible, as they transform the very foundations of our working and living environments. Technological progress facilitates the fulfillment of many fundamental needs of modern societies, such as work, prosperity, freedom of movement, culture, knowledge, health, and safety. Technological change has always had—and continues to have—many unintended side effects. The price of technological progress includes social consequences such as alienation, uprooting, and insecurity among people, as well as ecological consequences such as environmental destruction, air pollution, radiation exposure, and resource depletion.

Like any technology, digitalization is not an end in itself, but must serve the good of mankind. When shaping the transformation process, the focus must therefore be on the long-term benefits of digital technologies for the environment and society. The theoretical discourse on digitalization today is largely shaped by extreme positions, ranging from complete rejection to euphoric professions of faith. Many people believe in the self-actualizing powers of technological utopias and regard these processes as inevitable.[2] The new digital technologies are neither good nor bad in themselves. Their usefulness depends on the purpose for which we use them and how we design their use. What is therefore crucial for the process of digitalization is who decides on the use of digital technologies, what interests are pursued and what social benefits are associated with them

Today, the benefits of digitalization for people are largely driven by the interests of a few globally active IT companies. The virtually unprotected, comprehensive collection, linking, and use of private data provides these IT companies with a tool of power that undermines citizens’ self-determination and the sovereignty of societies. [3] The public’s fears can now be measured and objectively assessed. [4] In a 2017 survey conducted in Germany, 78% of respondents rated the handling of their personal data on the internet as somewhat or completely unsafe. [5] The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information therefore makes the following recommendation: “From a data protection perspective, one should always exercise restraint when disclosing personal information about oneself or others.”[6] If this statement is taken seriously, adults must be warned before every use of the Internet, while children and adolescents must be barred from using it altogether.

The digital transformation of modern societies must not be negotiated according to the rules of global IT corporations. This can only be achieved if the public interests are formulated, negotiated and shaped in a participatory manner in every application. The well-being of citizens must be at the forefront of democratic decision-making processes. Societies, institutions and individuals do not have to do or allow everything that is technologically possible. The use of digital technologies must be compatible with the common good. Which social structures should be preserved or renewed must be negotiated on the basis of public discourse, democratic decision-making and participatory design methods.

However, we can only seize our opportunities to participate in, moderate and shape these transformation processes if we recognize and understand the driving forces and structures of this development. The main reason why public interests are pushed into the background is that they have not yet been researched to a large extent or are not addressed at the beginning of the design intervention. The following three points are of central importance for shaping digitalization:

[1] cf. Renz, Marcel. The Electrotechnical Exhibition in Frankfurt in 1891 and its consequences. Vdm Verlag Dr. Müller 2011 and Kuhn, Johannes. Technical innovations have been the subject of debate before. Essay Süddeutsche Zeitung online 27.05.2016 (retrieved 15.12.2017: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/digital/samstagsessay-vorsicht-zukunft-1.3008159)

[2] cf. Morozov, Evgeny. Smart new world: digital technology and human freedom. Karl Blessing Publishing House 2013

[3] cf. Han, Byung-Chul. In the swarm: views of the digital. Matthes & Seitz 2013

[4] cf. dpa report. Wave of arrests in Turkey. Thousands of proceedings against social media users. FAZ online 26.12.2016 (retrieved 19.12.2017: http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/verhaftungswelle-in-tuerkei-tausende-verfahren-gegen-nutzer-sozialer-medien-14592235.html)

[5] cf. statista survey of internet users. How secure do you think your personal data is on the Internet in general? retrieved 19.12.2017: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/217842/umfrage/sicherheit-von-persoenlichen-daten-im-internet/)

[6] Facebook, Twitter and Co.: Data protection in social networks. Website: The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information. (retrieved 19.12.2017: https://www.bfdi.bund.de/DE/Datenschutz/Themen/Telefon_Internet/InternetArtikel/DatenschutzInSozialenNetzwerken.html)

1. Ethics: The consequences of digitalization for people and the environment must be researched, investigated and discussed with those affected against the background of the application situation! The task must be developed against the background of extensive participation processes!
2. Added value: The benefits and risks of technological innovations must be researched, investigated and weighed up against each other! The design of digitalization must not become an end in itself, but must demonstrate its concrete benefits for people and the environment!
3. Security and law: The possibilities of data protection must be researched, investigated and included in the definition of the task! Digitalization may only follow market economy principles to the extent that it complies with democratic principles and the rule of law!

One of the most important physicists of the 20th century. Werner Heisenberg is credited with the sentence: “Ideas are not responsible for what people make of them.”[1] Man is the creator of all technologies. We shape the performance spectrum of computers, programs, machines and network structures according to our will and for our benefit. The production, design and use of digital technologies must therefore always be based on our personal responsibility. Designers must develop an ethical attitude towards the development and use of digital technologies and apply the resulting responsibility in their design practice. We must use the new digital technologies to further develop and strengthen democracy and use them to shape a world in which we can live freely and self-determined lives.

[1] The quote has been attributed to Werner Heisenberg since 1969, but the source is missing.

Shaping the future of work in networked societies

The driving force behind digital change is the benefit and added value that new technologies bring to the well-being of people in modern societies. The digital age began in 1941, when Konrad Zuse invented the world’s first functional computer with his Z3. This achievement is based on preliminary work such as Charles Babbage’s mechanical calculating machine, which was used a century earlier. While the further development of digital technologies was delayed after the Second World War in Europe, it was driven forward in the USA despite some skepticism. Due to the size and production costs of digital technologies in 1943, the then head of IBM, Thomas J. Watson, was quoted as saying: “I think there is a world market for maybe 5 computers.”[1]

The breakthrough of the computer came in 1981 with the IBM 5150 model, which was used by companies worldwide to set up personal workstations due to its small size, sufficient performance for office work, economical price and the IT services available. Thanks to IBM’s market power in the field of industrial computers, the Microsoft DOS operating system quickly became the global industry standard for personal computers. Technologically superior models such as the Apple PC or the Commodore PC were marginalized as a result. In 2007, Apple regained its status as technology leader with the first iPhone model, which made it the most valuable company in the world. Today, more than 250 mill. PC models sold. The peak of this development was already reached in 2011 with more than 360 million euros. PC models. [2]

The rise of smartphones continues unabated to this day, reaching nearly 1.5 billion units sold in 2017. [3] At 7.3 billion, the number of mobile subscriptions already equals the world’s population, although this figure is skewed because people, institutions, and companies in developed countries often have multiple subscriptions. Nevertheless, the number of mobile subscriptions in Africa already stands at 709 million, which illustrates the potential of the people we can reach with digital services. [4] The existence of global digital networking structures opens up new avenues for thought and action that can be harnessed to improve educational, living, and working conditions for many people from all social classes and countries of origin around the world. Public interests can be advanced through digital transformation, where the use of digital technologies helps to reduce existing inequalities and development gaps.

The digital transformation of networked industrial and service societies is shaping our present and creating fundamental structures for the future. Digitalization is a global technological transformation process, comparable to industrialization, in which major economic, cultural and social consequences are to be expected. The exact consequences of these technological upheavals cannot be reliably estimated, as the technological modernization process that has already begun will continue for many years to come. Current estimates of job losses due to the digitalization of the economy, or the world of work 4.0, vary between 47% and 9% [5]. All estimates of the local and regional effects of digitalization vary greatly because the effects of job rationalization can be reduced or offset by the growth in new jobs. The future of work in networked societies must be shaped responsibly, as all levels of the value chain and their consequences for people and the environment must always be taken into account.

[1] Electron robots in Germany. Der Spiegel. Issue 26.05.1965

[2] cf. statista. Forecast for global sales of PCs from 2009 to 2021 (retrieved 21.12.2017: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/160878/umfrage/prognose-zum-weltweiten-absatz-von-pcs/)

[3] cf. statista. Forecast for smartphone sales worldwide from 2010 to 2021 (retrieved 21.12.2017: (https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/12865/umfrage/prognose-zum-absatz-von-smartphones-weltweit/)

[4] cf. statista. Number of mobile connections worldwide by region from 2005 to 2017 (retrieved 21.12.2017: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/253072/umfrage/anzahl-der-mobilfunkanschluesse-nach-regionen-weltweit/)

[5] Studies for the US labor market: 47% (see Frey and Osborne 2013) or 6-15% (see Bonin et al. 2015; Dengler and Matthes 2015; Arntz et al. 2016), for Europe See: World of work 4.0: Prosperity growth or inequality and job loss – what will digitalization bring? Oliver Stettes, Melanie Arntz, Terry Gregory and Ulrich Zierahn, Katharina Dengler, Daniel Veit, Werner Eichhorst and Ulf Rinne (source updated 08.12.2017: http://www.zew.de/publikationen/arbeitswelt-40-wohlstandszuwachs-oder-ungleichheit-und-arbeitsplatzverlust-was-bringt-die-digitalisierung/)

Shaping forms of coexistence in networked societies

The hopes associated with the digitalization of all areas of life are particularly evident in the “smart cities” model, which is generating great euphoria among many social actors, although it also entails considerable risks. Smart cities and the ‘Internet of Things’ are no longer utopias, but are already taking shape.[1] Digital technologies are to be used to create a new urbanity that focuses on people’s needs such as health, social issues, work and leisure. Smart people are people who live in symbiosis with new digital technologies and benefit from them optimally. Smart governance makes it easier for citizens and the state to regulate necessary administrative processes. Smart mobility is based on intelligent ideas such as self-driving cars that can be used publicly on the basis of car-sharing models. The principle of the smart economy involves the more efficient use of material and energy resources. Infrastructures such as transportation and energy supply are to be made more ecological and efficient in the future. Citizens can do their shopping from home and receive their products delivered free of charge. A large part of the work can be done at home.

Where working hours are flexible and commutes are eliminated, many activities can be made more family-friendly and ecological. Communication will largely take place via instant messaging services such as e-mail, IP telephony, video conferencing, screen sharing, file transfer and social networks. Intelligent building technology systems recognize the needs of the users and adapt the living and working conditions in the building to the requirements. Use becomes more ecological, as important energy consumption sources such as heating and lighting are optimally adapted to the processes in the house. The use of surveillance technologies reduces crime and enables rapid assistance where people are in need. The elderly could particularly benefit from this, as they can manage most daily activities from home and maintain regular contact with family, friends and carers. Smart cities and citizens are highly networked both internally and externally.

Criticism of smart cities is primarily directed at the associated possibilities of misusing digital technologies for the realization of commercial interests and the total surveillance of citizens. Smart cities could develop into an instrument of power that provides state or private institutions with a tool for total surveillance and behavior control of all citizens. When designing smart cities, the public interests of democratic societies must be taken into account, which opens up new fields of action for design disciplines between architecture, urban planning and design. Social actors need good arguments and effective strategies for asserting public interests against the power of global IT and Internet companies, whose market capitalization already exceeds the gross national product of many economies. [2]

The digitalization of our living, learning and working environments is revolutionizing systemically relevant foundations of democratic societies such as security, education, the press, justice and freedom. In many cases, legal texts and social practices cannot be transferred directly from the analog to the digital space. The boundaries between privacy and the public sphere are becoming fluid and must be defined in public discourse and reassessed by democratically legitimized bodies. Since Aristotle, we have known that ethical principles and moral attitudes are based on habits, customs and practices. [ 3 ] When lifeworld practices are exposed to strong social transformation processes, ethical and moral foundations come under pressure. The pressure for change generated by digitalization and networking promotes uncertainty and fear, but also creates scope for redesigning the ways in which we live together. Digitalization not only harbours incalculable risks, but also opportunities for the renewal of society. The dynamics of change brought about by digitalization can already be felt today in key areas of social thought and action such as the environment, education, research, science, business, energy, justice, health, defence, transport, politics, work, family, social affairs and culture. As a result, questions about strategies for shaping digitalization processes are moving to the forefront of public discourse. If we want to help shape the future of urbanity, we must recognize the public interests of citizens, evaluate opportunities and risks, and discover and exploit the possibilities for successful interventions.

[1] cf. Jaekel, Michael. Smart City becomes reality: a guide to new urbanities in the digital modern age. Springer Vieweg 2015

[2] cf. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/services/audit-assurance/publications/global-top-100-companies-2017.html (retrieved: 16.11.2017)

[3] cf. Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Reclam 2017

Shaping user rights and user behavior in digital worlds

The concepts and relationship between the public and private spheres must be renegotiated and legally secured in networked societies. The ethical basis for our actions cannot be easily transferred from the analog to the digital space, as many value-forming factors such as influence, trust, friendship, consent, power and violence change their meaning. Someone who is liked as a friend in the virtual space of the Internet can be a stranger in physical encounters. People who write hate comments on the Internet can hold completely different views in real life. The current regulations on the personal rights of individuals, as well as on the relationship between the public and private spheres, reflect the everyday practices and democratically negotiated legal concepts of analogous societies. When we are in analog space, physically moving between places, physically interacting with people and using their services, we can trust that our personal rights will be protected. We usually know where our actions remain private or where they become public and can adjust our behavior accordingly. This applies equally to the perception and respect of other people’s privacy. Total surveillance, which goes hand in hand with the use of digital media, would be incompatible with our fundamental rights.

When we move around on the Internet or change our location with our mobile device, all our actions are recorded by various digital players. This data retention turns citizens into suspects and private actions into a commodity.[1] Global IT companies are exploiting our data in a dynamically growing business area in which our right to privacy is taking on a new meaning. Our data protection legislation shows that state institutions have not yet found a way to create legal certainty. Instead of rules, warnings are issued that further contribute to the uncertainty of citizens. [2]

Computer programs and apps make our lives easier; they save us work, serve as repositories of knowledge, monitor our health, foster our social interactions, and help us organize our daily lives. Algorithms help us search for information, provide guidance, shape social interactions, and advocate for our causes. As a result, hardly anyone today would want to do without computers and smartphones in their personal lives. The digital public sphere of the internet has become the stage for our lives and influences every aspect of our physical reality. We therefore usually post our data online carelessly and voluntarily, since the benefits offered are tangible and often free of charge, while drawbacks such as a lack of data security and increasing dependence remain abstract.[3] We often agree to licenses and terms of service with a single click, without first reading them carefully or assessing their implications. For most programs, we have no alternative because we have already become heavily interconnected through them—with other people and institutions, with our own data, with other programs, and with the hardware. Furthermore, we can assume that competitors handle our personal rights in a similar manner. Consequently, entering into license and business agreements with software providers is often characterized by feelings such as carelessness and wishful thinking, or dependence and powerlessness. As a result, we increasingly do not know—and care less and less—who stores, analyzes, uses, and shares our data. The transition from an analog to a digital society plunges us into crises that harbor enormous risks and, at the same time, open up opportunities for profound renewal.[4] The discussion, redefinition, and shaping of the personal rights of all citizens is among the most important challenges facing networked societies.

The ‘transparent citizen’, who almost completely reveals their privacy in the digital space of the internet, is one of the hallmarks of networked societies. Hardly anyone is aware that powerful algorithms can determine a person’s identity from a few indicators such as details of friends, locations, purchases or habits.[5] As soon as we use the Internet, our actions are recorded by programs in the background, evaluated and linked to existing data. Through the sum of our actions, we ourselves create a personality profile on the Internet in which our private life situation is represented. Linking our data with that of our family, friends and colleagues creates a social profile that has never been visible in this way before. By documenting all our digital communication, recording the type and frequency of our contacts, as well as the links between conversations, texts, images and films, this structure grows, deepens and refines.

Today, data protection is largely managed by the very companies that profit from the use of our data. We digitize our own data and, by connecting to the Internet and using software, actively contribute to its dissemination. Data collection does not stop at the threshold of our homes or at the boundaries of our bodies. When we use online services, we consciously or unconsciously digitize a great deal of information about our life experiences and education, our social contacts and behavior, our movement patterns and actions, as well as our attitudes, problems, preferences, and desires. The sum of this published private information constitutes the data capital of gigantic IT companies, whose economic power repeatedly and successfully thwarts government attempts at regulation.[6] The internet creates an autobiographical memory of its users over which we have no complete control. Attempts to delete this data often prove unsuccessful, as our data is duplicated countless times and stored in such a way that it remains beyond the direct reach of the government and citizens. National data protection laws do not apply at the data’s storage location if it lies outside the country’s borders. Unlike U.S. citizens, EU citizens are largely without legal recourse when using social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and Xing; video portals such as YouTube and Vimeo; search engines such as Google and Bing; and online retailers such as Amazon and eBay.[7] The sovereignty of states is significantly restricted by global data transfers.[8]

Our data is not safe anywhere, as cybercrime is constantly growing due to rising values, global networking, lawless areas and a lack of law enforcement. In a cyber attack on the Playstation Network digital service portal in 2011, credit card information and personal data of 77 million subscribers were stolen, who were only informed about it 6 days later. In 2013, a cyber attack gave hackers access to the accounts of around 1 billion Yahoo users, which contained names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth and encrypted passwords. Also in 2013, hackers captured the data of 38 million Adobe customers. In 2014, 145 million registered customers of the online marketplace ebay fell victim to cyber criminals. In 2015, the addresses, credit card numbers and sexual preferences of around 40 million users of the online portal Ashley Madison, which is used to contact sexual partners for flings, were published by a hacker group. These included 15,000 government and military addresses. The publication also revealed that data was not deleted following termination or customer requests.[9] This makes it clear that the security of citizens in networked societies is no longer guaranteed due to the changed framework conditions. This reveals a huge potential for shaping the future, as existing problem-solving strategies such as national laws and regulations have little impact in a global context. Even international regulations will be almost impossible to enforce, as breaches of the law can be carried out at any time from any part of the world using mobile, low-cost technologies.

A far-reaching renunciation of the use of digital technologies currently offers the only effective protection against the intrusion of state and private actors into our privacy! But is this even possible or is it perhaps enough if we change our communication behavior and use effective security programs? Perhaps we don’t need new laws, but programs that we can trust or that curb the data hunger of other programs? Perhaps we just need to behave differently in the virtual space of the Internet? The design of our living environment has a major influence on user behavior, which is why this task offers a socially highly relevant field of activity for designers. The design of user behavior on the Internet is one of the great challenges of the present and will keep us busy for a long time to come!

[1] As of July 1, 2017, we are all suspects. Independent State Center for Data Protection Schleswig-Holstein
(accessed February 6, 2018: https://www.datenschutz.de/ab-dem-1-juli-2017-sind-wir-alle-verdaechtig/)

[2] See Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) 2017 (4) This Act applies to public bodies. It applies to non-public bodies provided that (3) the controller or processor processes personal data within Germany, and although the controller or processor does not have an establishment in a Member State of the European Union or in another State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, but falls within the scope of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament …

General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (116) If personal data is transferred to another country outside the Union, there is an increased risk that natural persons will not be able to exercise their data protection rights and, in particular, to protect themselves against the unlawful use or disclosure of this information.

Similarly, supervisory authorities may not be able to investigate complaints or conduct investigations that relate to activities taking place outside the borders of their Member State.

[3] cf. Morozov, Evgeny. Smart new world: digital technology and human freedom. Karl Blessing Publishing House 2013

[4] cf. Han, Byung-Chul. In the swarm: views of the digital. Matthes & Seitz 2013

[5] cf. Kucklick, Christoph. The granular society: How the digital is dissolving our reality. Ullstein Paperback 2016

[6] see S&P Index data. Published on the website: http://fortune.com/global500 (retrieved 08.12.2017)

[7] cf. Spehr, Michael. Fished from Facebook. FAZ-online 29.12.2016 (retrieved 08.12.2017: http://www.faz.net/aktuell/technik-motor/digital/datenkrake-abgefischt-von-facebook-14590869-p2.html)

Jannis Brühl and Thomas Kirchner. More security for EU citizens in the USA. Süddeutsche Zeitung 12.07.2016 (retrieved on 08.12.2017: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/datenschutz-mehr-sicherheit-fuer-eu-buerger-in-den-usa-1.3074903)

[8] cf. The Spy Files. wikileaks (retrieved 08.12.2017: https://wikileaks.org/the-spyfiles.html) On Thursday, December 1st, 2011 WikiLeaks began publishing The Spy Files, thousands of pages and other materials exposing the global mass surveillance industry.

[9] see The biggest cyberattacks on companies. Computerwoche. (retrieved 21.12.2017: https://www.computerwoche.de/a/die-groessten-cyberangriffe-auf-unternehmen,3214326)

Shaping education, science and research in networked societies

The digital transformation of modern societies has a particularly strong impact on education, science and research. The transformation of the way we learn and research, how we generate, disseminate and use knowledge, has only just begun. Since we cannot see into the future, we can use comparisons with historical events to imagine the effects of digitalization. At this point, comparisons are often drawn between the transformative powers of book printing and the Internet. The invention of printing in the 15th century became the driving force behind the comprehensive modernization of medieval societies.[1] However, the success of extensive literacy and enlightenment of the population cannot be attributed solely to the direct advantages of printing technology, such as low production costs, large print runs, rapid distribution and easy availability. Indirect benefits such as multilingualism, general comprehensibility and user-friendliness of the content were just as important. The printing industry no longer geared its products solely to the wishes of a tiny educated elite, but discovered the economic potential of the masses, who first had to be educated. Since then, the spread of printed matter in all languages and countries of the world has not only led to an exponential expansion and networking of the knowledge base of our species.

The economic, social, and cultural transformation of medieval societies gave rise to the modern era, which does not end with digitalization but rather reaches a new stage of development. The concept of postmodernism—which, in my view, should be understood as purely programmatic—is directed against the drive for innovation in free, globally oriented market economies. Modernity is by no means over; rather, with digitalization, it is entering a new phase characterized by ever-greater interconnectedness across all spheres of social activity. With the current volume of data on the Internet, our information stock is once again making a quantum leap. The monthly global data volume is estimated at more than 15.3 zettabytes (^10²¹ bytes), which far exceeds the data volume of all existing printed materials.[2] However, the quality of digital information is far more heterogeneous than that of print media, since anyone with a private internet connection can disseminate data online at virtually no cost. Only a tiny fraction of this data is produced by professional authors under editorial oversight. The vast majority of all publications are produced by private individuals, whose authenticity and qualifications often remain unknown. Every day, new information channels emerge on editorially managed websites, personal blogs, video platforms such as YouTube, social networks such as Facebook, or short-form messaging platforms such as Twitter.

Most people today already use the Internet as a primary source for learning activities such as research, experience acquisition and knowledge building. This applies not only to leisure activities, but now also to school learning and university studies.[3] Access to information of all kinds is provided by Internet search engines such as Google, which alone processes over 3 billion search queries from more than 1.17 billion users per day. The next search engines, such as Baidu, Yahoo and Microsoft, are each used by just under 300 million users. 4] In Germany, more than 17 million people already use the Internet today. 5] In the age group of 14- to 29-year-old Internet users in Germany, 92% already use Wikipedia, the world’s largest Internet encyclopedia[6], which today contains a knowledge base of around 45 million pages. articles, which are created, edited and constantly updated in almost 300 languages by well over a hundred thousand freelance authors. This free knowledge resource is available to every Internet user in the world, which can cause problems if Wikipedia permanently replaces your own research efforts and comprehensive information. However, if we look at this frequently cited problem from a different perspective, the benefits of public digital knowledge archives for the education of the world’s population become apparent. Most people in the world today have access to the Internet, but still no access to libraries and no money for books.

With the spread and use of the Internet as a source of information and a communication platform, digital media are increasingly being used in education, science, and research. Virtually all private and public institutions of this kind use the Internet as a digital representation of their organization for internal and external communication purposes. Their objectives, structure, and areas of activity can be derived from this, as can their offerings and contact options. In addition, many educational institutions offer numerous e-learning options, such as webinars, podcasts, chat rooms, and MOOCs, or combined formats like blended learning.[7] Other educational institutions forgo direct contact with learners entirely and rely completely on e-learning. Through initiatives such as the Free Online Courses—edX, supported by universities such as MIT, Harvard, Berkeley, the Sorbonne, TU Delft, RWTH Aachen, it is possible for people eager to learn from all over the world to study at the world’s best educational institutions, regardless of their background, financial means, or place of residence.[8] Digital learning is still far from being an equivalent substitute for attending schools and colleges, and may never be. Digital learning may make people smarter, but it will never make them part of a network based on personal connections, understanding, and trust. Face-to-face encounters with instructors and fellow learners during and after class time facilitate discourse and new insights, build relationships of trust, and foster personal development. The formation of knowledge is based on multisensory experiences, imaginations grounded in reality, and the trust of individuals who do not present themselves through projections but reveal themselves in interpersonal encounters. Digital teaching and learning methods offer a great opportunity to renew and expand analog educational offerings, but they are no substitute for them. The transmission of knowledge through print media has not led to the abolition of the spoken word, but rather has enhanced its value and sustainability.

The development and design of digital offerings for education, science and research opens up a growing and socially highly relevant field of activity for designers. Digital technologies can be used at any age and at all levels of education, from pre-school education and general education to specialist education and lifelong learning. The conception and production of educational programs requires specialist skills and responsibility in fields such as media design, media use and media communication. Participatory design research methods are particularly effective when new educational programs are based on the following points:[9]

• Understanding: Observation of teaching and learning processes in the context of real application situations and definition of the added value of new educational offers
• Inform: Thorough research of the target group, usage situation and existing offers, including the development history, present conditions and future prospects
• Development and formulation of the objective: Participatory encounters involving teachers and learners, decision-makers and technical experts in the context of the application situation
• Conception: Search for ideas, design and creative design of forms and methods for solving problems using usability strategies such as user experience design and visionary thinking
• Prototyping: exemplary implementation of a functional model on which the favored solution can be tested, analyzed, explained, criticized and further developed
• Test: Evaluation of usage characteristics, observation of user behavior and analysis of open usage potentials by applying quantitative and qualitative research methods as well as direct user feedback strategies

[1] cf. Morozov, Evgeny. Smart new world: digital technology and human freedom. Karl Blessing Publishing House 2013

[2] cf. IDC study. New approaches for a new data age. (retrieved 30.04.2018: https://www.seagate.com/de/de/our-story/data-age-2025/#)

[3] cf. Klöck, Gerd. Zeit-online. Students are at a loss without Google. (retrieved 12/11/2017 http://www.zeit.de/studium/hochschule/2011-05/lehre-google)

[4] See Statista. 1.17 Billion People Use Google Search. (retrieved 11.12.2017: https://www.statista.com/chart/899/unique-users-of-search-engines-in-december-2012/)

[5] See Statista: Number of internet users in Germany who use the internet for reference purposes, by frequency of use from 2013 to 2016 (in millions) (retrieved 11.12.2017: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/168882/umfrage/internet-fuer-die-nutzung-von-nachschlagewerken/ )https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/168882/umfrage/internet-fuer-die-nutzung-von-nachschlagewerken/

[6] see Statista: Do you use the online encyclopedia Wikipedia? (retrieved 11.12.2017: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/500757/umfrage/anteil-der-nutzer-von-wikipedia-nach-altersgruppen-in-deutschland/

[7] cf. Kerres, Michael. Media didactics: Conception and development of media-supported learning opportunities. De Gruyter 2013

[8] cf. Harvard Online Learning portal: http://online-learning.harvard.edu/ (retrieved 03.11.2017)

[9] cf. Buether, Axel. Design. in Lexikon der Kunstpädagogik. Athena publishing house Oberhausen 2017

Shaping forms of communication in networked societies

The Internet brings its users a considerable increase in freedom of information and opinion. For the most part, we are free to decide where and how we want to obtain information and what content we want to publish. Even where authoritarian governments suppress civil liberties such as the right to freedom of expression, the Internet’s diverse information channels can never be completely eliminated. Protests and revolutionary movements such as the ‘Arab Spring’ were significantly promoted by social media despite internet censorship.[1] However, the new digital freedom of information and communication is not without risks for individuals, institutions and societies. ‘Fake news’ and criminal activities such as digital hate speech, cyberbullying, cyberbullying and cyberstalking are the dark side of the new freedoms of the internet. [2]

There is also a problem with the validity of information from the Internet, which often remains as uncertain as the ethical stance and intentions of its often anonymous or unknown authors. Users of social networks are particularly affected by this, as they can rarely recognize the sources on which the information is based or the credibility of those disseminating it. The uncritical and unreflective attitude of users contributes significantly to the abuse of the new freedoms of the Internet. Criteria for professional search queries and the selection of valid information should therefore be part of everyone’s general education. As part of the necessary digital education, everyone should be empowered:

1. Research skills: Being able to search for valid information on the Internet
2. Critical faculties: being able to form criteria for the credibility of digital information
3. Evaluation skills: being able to check the truthfulness of digital information in case of doubt
4. Judgment: Being able to form one’s own judgment based on careful research
5. Responsibility: Being able to handle personal data and your own opinions responsibly
6. Empathy: being able to align your own actions with the legitimate interests of other people and society

Net policy issues such as the preservation of digital freedom rights, media policy and net culture engagement are already being addressed and promoted by many private and public initiatives. These include Internet platforms such as netzpolitik.org, which cover socially relevant topics such as data protection, surveillance, big data, scoring, data leaks, cyber-military, net neutrality, broadband expansion, free networks, freedom of expression, censorship, human rights, whistleblowing: Data protection, surveillance, big data, scoring, data leaks, cybermilitary, net neutrality, broadband expansion, free networks, freedom of speech and press, censorship, human rights, whistleblowing, transparency, public change, data journalism, open data, copyright, Creative Commons, free knowledge, education, freedom of information, consumer protection, general terms and conditions, algorithms, artificial intelligence, drones, cyborgs, robots, IT security, art, music, computer games, digital democracy, e-government, lobbying, campaigning and social movements. [3]

New digital whistleblowing platforms such as WikiLeaks are taking on particular political significance. By anonymously publishing data that the operators believe is in the public interest, they aim to promote unrestricted freedom of expression and information on the Internet.[4] The activists accept the sometimes drastic side effects that come with this. Cyberactivist forms of political engagement are also evident in globally active hacker movements such as Anonymous, which express their protests through massive public outreach and attacks on their opponents’ digital presence.[5] The right to freedom of information and freedom of expression on the internet can only be sustained if society defends itself against all forms of abuse. This requires the ongoing development of solutions, which creates a new, socially relevant field of activity for designers.

[1] cf. net publication Federal Agency for Civic Education. The role of new media in the Arab Spring. (retrieved 11.12.2017: http://www.bpb.de/internationales/afrika/arabischer-fruehling/52420/die-rolle-der-neuen-medien?p=all)

[2] cf. Ingrid Brodnig. Lies on the net – How fake news, populists and uncontrolled technology manipulate us. Brandstätter publishing house 2017

[3] cf. website netzpolitik.org. Platform for digital liberties. (retrieved 11.12.2017: https://netzpolitik.org/team/)

[4] cf. website of the WikiLeaks revelation platform (retrieved 11.12.2017: https://wikileaks.org/)

[5] vg. Herb, Ulrich (ed.). Open Initiatives: Openness in the digital world and science. universaar, Saarbrücken 2012. Open Access (retrieved 11.12.2017: http://universaar.uni-saarland.de/monographien/volltexte/2012/87/)

Designing digital knowledge networks and research methods

The linguistically described knowledge of our species was initially preserved in the memory of individuals and passed on via oral narrative forms. With the invention of writing, we have given this knowledge a material form that is independent of our memory. Printing, in turn, accelerated the production, reproduction and dissemination of our knowledge, the material form of which was always dependent on time and space. As a result of advancing digitization, our knowledge is constantly shifting to the Internet, where it is available to any user at any location for a fee or, in many cases, for free. The digitalization of our knowledge frees us from constraints such as time, space and material. Every digital source could theoretically be read simultaneously by all of humanity, as all data is available at any location at any time. Utopias of unrestricted availability of human knowledge have so far ended at solvable problems such as data provision and data use, data security and data rights. For the present, pragmatic solutions are required here, which must be designed while safeguarding public interests. Shaping the future of the Internet, on the other hand, requires visions that bring us closer to the dream of free knowledge.

The digitization of our material written culture promotes the production of new knowledge in a variety of ways. Today, an increasing number of publications are being produced directly for the Internet by a growing number of authors, as digitization leads to significant cost reductions and simplifies distribution channels. An increasing number of scholarly publications are appearing in English, thereby reaching a global audience of experts. By 2017, English already accounted for over 50% of all websites, and as this trend continues, it is increasingly becoming the global language of knowledge production on the Internet.[1] The Internet also increasingly hosts digitized print media that are accessible in the analog world only with great time and financial effort, such as manuscripts, images, and out-of-print publications of all kinds. The IT company Google estimates that 129 million different books have been printed worldwide to date. Twenty percent of these are said to be free of private usage rights. Of the remaining 80% of books, most are no longer commercially available, according to Google.[2] The Google Books division has set a goal for itself to make approximately 15 million books available to users in its database by 2015 through retro-digitization. [3] Since the company itself does not publish any figures on this due to many unresolved copyright disputes, one can only speculate about the scale achieved to date. The company is thus creating a fait accompli while simultaneously attempting to reach a comprehensive agreement with authors and authors’ representatives from around the world. The Google Books Settlement provides for the creation of a monopoly on the world’s entire body of knowledge, with authors and publishers set to receive a percentage of the proceeds from its commercialization, to be agreed upon. [4] The monopoly position held by a few global corporations is causing anxiety in society, which is why there are widespread calls for the government and the public to take responsibility for providing digital knowledge and cultural resources.[5]

Our knowledge of the world cannot be reduced solely to data that has been and is produced in the form of professionally designed, editorially supervised and systematically distributed media products for a broad public. The everyday culture of individuals, groups and societies is represented in the countless texts, voice recordings, images, pieces of music and films of private Internet users. Also known as big data, these expressions of life from broad sections of the population represent a unique resource for education, science and research. We can use texts, images and videos to get an up-to-date picture of how other people live, what moves them and what is happening in their environment. If we succeed in looking behind the staged forms of self-disclosure in social media, we can draw a picture of people and milieus that can be used to effectively expand quantitative and qualitative methods of social research. Today, data from social networks is largely used for commercial purposes such as interest-based advertising or the creation of customer loyalty. The authenticity of the data is also particularly valuable for scientific purposes, as they represent everyday expressions of people’s lives that have undergone no or only very rough editorial filters. If this wealth of knowledge is used in anonymized form for the benefit of the general public, there is a public interest in the use of this information.

Self-learning programs represent one form of artificial intelligence. With enormous computing power, storage capacity, and self-learning algorithms, these programs scan unimaginably large data streams for meaningful patterns and continually discover new, useful connections. Intelligent search programs already take into account some 200 criteria—such as popularity, credibility, connectivity, and user-friendliness—based on which they rank the information they find. Text and image information are evaluated and linked in the same way as user data, hyperlinks, references, and location and time information. The current state of research is based on the development of powerful algorithms that, much like neural networks, are not only self-learning but also use this information independently to develop new programs.[6] The digitization of our knowledge and the development of forms of artificial intelligence are opening up broad fields of activity for designers, as digital knowledge networks and research methods must be developed and designed in collaboration with experts from all fields of knowledge and research.

[1] cf. statista: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/2961/umfrage/anteil-der-verbreitetsten-sprachen-im-internet-seit-2006/ (retrieved 2.11.2017)

[2] See Jackson, Joab. Google: 129 Million Different Books Have Been Published. PCWorld. (retrieved 22.12.2017: https://www.pcworld.com/article/202803/google_129_million_different_books_have_been_published.html)

[3] cf. Reitz, Tobias. Judge puts pressure on disputing parties. Time online (retrieved 07.03.2018: http://www.zeit.de/digital/2009-10/google-book-settlement-vergleich)

[4] see Google Book Settlement. Current statements by Google on this topic. (retrieved on 07.03.2017: https://web.archive.org/web/20130210211417/http://www.googlebooksettlement.com/)

[5] Information platforms such as iRights provide information on copyright and other areas of law in the digital world. Source: https://irights.info/

[6] cf. Zoph, Barret; Quoc V. Le. Neural Architecture Search with Reinforcement Learning. Cornell University Library arXiv.org > cs > arXiv:1611.01578 (retrieved 12/13/2017: https://arxiv.org/abs/1611.01578)

Shaping the exploration and use of big data

Among the most important innovations of the Internet are large volumes of data, or “big data,” the storage, analysis, and use of which are so complex that they require specialized programs such as search engines. The potential for insights and the benefits of big data are so great that they are driving a wave of transformation, the effects of which are already being felt in many areas of life, such as education, science and research, health and nutrition, and work and leisure.[1] Through the use of big data, we no longer need to rely on majorities, averages, and standards. Stakeholders from science, culture, and business can more clearly perceive, more accurately understand, and more effectively support the desires and needs of individuals in their respective locations and specific life situations. The recording, collection, and linking of large amounts of data reveal the experiences, thoughts, behaviors, and actions of individual people, bringing us closer to many utopian and dystopian visions of the “glass” or “transparent” citizen. The phenomenon of the “transparent” citizen has both positive and negative effects on individuals and society. Big data can be used for the common good—and thus in the public interest—or exploited for private interests. The situation becomes difficult when public concerns such as research, health, or security are involved. This highlights the need to develop an ethical framework for handling data as quickly as possible—one that must be negotiated through social discourse and secured through a legal framework.

The use of big data can infringe on the personal rights of affected individuals if they are not sufficiently informed about it and do not give their explicit consent. But what does the act of giving our consent mean in the context of digitalization? Today, ownership and the right to use personally identifiable data are transferred almost automatically to the companies behind the software through the use of these programs. According to a survey, 72% of users in Germany accept the terms and conditions, licenses, and terms of use of software during installation or updates without thoroughly reading the terms beforehand. This behavior is not solely due to trust or carelessness, as respondents also indicated that they would be willing to pay for the security of their data.[2] The public’s interests are not sufficiently protected here, which is why sustainable solutions to increase security, control, and accountability in the handling of personal data must be urgently sought and developed.

However, the use of big data also promises great opportunities when it is carried out in the public interest for the benefit of society. There is great potential in the synthesis of analog and digital research methods. Quantitative research methods focus on the representative collection of individual data points, which are statistically extrapolated to average values and generalized in the results. Quantitative research is also usually based on hypotheses and research questions that are established prior to the study and are subsequently confirmed or falsified based on the collected data. Phenomena, on the other hand, are often reduced to such an extent in experimental setups and isolated from their context that they can be observed in controlled environments. This ensures the reproducibility of the experiments and the verification of the hypotheses. Although the results obtained through quantitative research methods are considered representative, they often do not do justice to individual cases, as the reality of the effects is significantly more complex.[3] The volume and interconnectivity of personal data give rise to a social space on the Internet that can be studied using methods such as netnography[4], cyberanthropology[5], or Internet sociology[6]. It remains to be investigated and clarified to what extent analog and digital representations of our existence are similar or different.

The collection and analysis of big data provide us with a new scientific method that enables us to obtain targeted information about people, places, and events. Professional big data analyses, such as search engine algorithms, are hardly limited by obstacles such as time, data volume, processing capacity, location, or language skills.[7] Analog methods, moreover, are limited to the terminology of our language. Thus, diseases are typically characterized by terms, described by symptoms, and treated according to standardized procedures, while individual characteristics and treatment options are neglected.[8] Through big data, we obtain information about people’s micro-actions—such as eye movements, gestures, and details of their actions—which allow us to perceive, observe, and influence their lived reality with high spatial and temporal resolution. Big data enables us to gain a deeper understanding of complex processes in nature and society, which, in the best-case scenario, can lead us to more accurate explanatory models and more effective solutions to problems. The research and use of big data are becoming increasingly important in the humanities and cultural studies, which can benefit from collaboration with designers in shaping these processes.

[1] cf. Stalder, Felix. Culture of digitality. Suhrkamp 2016

[2] cf. data protection. The view of consumers in Germany. TNS Emnid results report survey commissioned by the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations and Consumer Associations October 2015 (Retrieved 14.12.2017: https://www.vzbv.de/pressemitteilung/verbraucher-wuerden-fuer-mehr-datenschutz-zahlen)

[3] cf. Kucklick, Christoph. The Granular Society. Ullstein 2016

[4] cf. Kozinets, Robert V.. Netnography. Sage Publications 2015

[5] cf. Knorr, Alexander. Cyberanthropology. Hammer 2011

[6] cf. Bartsch, Simone. … would you tell me your e-mail address? Nomos Universitätsschriften 2012

[7] cf. Reichert, Ramón (ed.). Big Data: Analyses of the digital transformation of knowledge, power and economy. transcript 2014

[8] cf. Ming, Vivienne. Tracking my Son’s Diabetes. Lecture Global Conference Quantified Self 2013. Weblink: https://vimeo.com/81272562 (retrieved 02.11.2017)

Shaping democracy and freedom in networked societies

The success story of the Internet began with the global launch of the first World Wide Web server, “httpd,” the development of the first client programs (browser and editor), and the creation of “Hypertext Markup Language” (HTML) by Tim Berners-Lee in 1990.[1] Berners-Lee laid the groundwork for the Internet’s success by standardizing digital structures and founding the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), whose 431 member organizations ensure the free flow of data.[2] All standards developed by the W3C are published as open-source software and made available to the community of users for improvement and further development. The waiver of patent fees and free access to all source code continue to form the foundation for the openness, accessibility, cost-free nature, and neutrality of the global network to this day.

This idea of freedom is at the heart of the Internet, which is why it is still available to every user in the world today, despite many restrictions:

1. to inform themselves independently of the enormous power of commercial and institutional applications as far as possible
2. to form their own opinion against the background of their efforts and abilities
3. publish almost any message

Irrespective of the criticism, which in many cases is entirely justified, it is important to note that the power of the Internet to promote democracy internally and externally must be preserved. It is equally important to note that undemocratic and antisocial behavior on the Internet calls into question the liberal structures of society as a whole. What democracy means must therefore be negotiated and defended in the analog and digital space of networked societies, as both worlds have long since merged into a new entity. The Internet is already the most important communication medium in modern societies. Every day, more than 3 billion people worldwide are connected online, a huge number of users that continues to grow and has a significant impact on our lives[3].

The transformative potential of digitalization will open up completely new opportunities for future generations to help shape networked societies. Millions of digital spaces already exist worldwide in which young people shape their lives independently of the rules and conventions of mainstream society. These digital freedoms are not limited to the internet, but have an indirect influence on opinion-forming processes and action dynamics in society, as can be seen in many reform movements around the world. The digital transformation is shaking up social power centers and established institutions, which is spreading strong fears and uncertainty, but also offers opportunities and potential for progressive forces. Established networks from politics[4], business[5], science[6], media[7 ] and culture[8] are losing influence, disappearing or being forced to modernize and innovate by powerful new competitors. Digital information can reach global dimensions of impact in fractions of a second and bring about social change dynamics that can neither be controlled nor contained. The positive and negative effects of digital transformation processes are already becoming apparent. However, the consequences of technological and social change are not yet foreseeable. We therefore need a new educational project for networked societies so that all citizens can form their own opinions. We need a global digital literacy project that is operated in our educational institutions under state responsibility so that all people can use their knowledge, reason and responsibility to shape networked societies. The educational project can only be successful if it takes shape in practice. Designers can make an important contribution to this.

Digital education and literacy require:

1. Responsibility to act: Everyone is aware of the social, cultural and societal responsibility associated with the opportunities for free publication and unrestricted communication of information in the public space of the Internet.
2. Promotion of democracy: Everyone promotes the basic democratic structure of the Internet through their behavior and respects human dignity, civil and human rights, free development of the personality, freedom of information and opinion, truth, equality, freedom of belief and data protection.
3. Knowledge acquisition: Anyone can research relevant information on the Internet, check its meaning and truthfulness, place it in context and evaluate it.
4. Critical faculties: Everyone develops a critical attitude towards information from the Internet and is able to assess the trustworthiness of sources.
5. Design skills: Everyone is able to use rhetorical means to design their own messages in textual, pictorial, graphic and filmic form and to publish them on the Internet using suitable technologies and media-specific methods.

This collection of topics on shaping the digital transformation of networked societies opens up a broad field of future-oriented and socially relevant activities for designers. The points are neither intended as a scientific presentation of the subject area in scope and depth, nor do they claim to be exhaustive. They are described in a popular scientific language that is intended to motivate designers to deal with these or other fields of research and action as part of a public interest design course and to develop their own interests in the subject.

[1] cf. Berners-Lee, Tim. The web report. The creator of the World Wide Web on the limitless potential of the Internet. Econ Publishing House 1999

[2] cf. homepage World Wide Web Consortium W3C (retrieved 15.12.2017: https://www.w3.org/Consortium/facts)

[3] see S&P Index data. Published on the website: http://fortune.com/global500 (retrieved 1.11.2017)

[4] cf. Pick, Yussi. The echo principle. How online communication has an offline effect. Czernin 2013

[5] cf. Schwab, Klaus. The Fourth Industrial Revolution. Pantheon 2016

[6] cf. Kucklick, Christoph. The granular society: How the digital is dissolving our reality. Ullstein 2016

[7] cf. Berger, Hannes. Public service broadcasting and digitization. Ibidem 2016

[8] cf. Becker, Jörg. The digitalization of media and culture. Springer VS 2013

Bibliography:

Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Reclam Leipzig 2017.

Bartsch, Simone. … would you tell me your e-mail address? Nomos Universitätsschriften Baden-Baden 2012.

Becker, Jörg. The digitalization of media and culture. Springer VS Wiesbaden 2013.

Berger, Hannes. Public service broadcasting and digitization. Ibidem Stuttgart 2016.

Berners-Lee, Tim. The web report. The creator of the World Wide Web on the limitless potential of the Internet. Econ Verlag Berlin 1999.

Brodnig, Ingrid. Lies on the net – How fake news, populists and uncontrolled technology manipulate us. Brandstätter Verlag Vienna 2017.

Han, Byung-Chul. In the swarm: views of the digital. Matthes & Seitz Berlin 2013.

Herb, Ulrich (ed.). Open Initiatives: Openness in the digital world and science. universaar Saarbrücken 2012.

Jaekel, Michael. Smart City becomes reality: a guide to new urbanities in the digital modern age. Springer Vieweg Wiesbaden 2015.

Kerres, Michael. Media didactics: Conception and development of media-supported learning opportunities. De Gruyter Berlin 2013.

Knorr, Alexander. Cyberanthropology. Hammer Leipzig 2011.

Kozinets, Robert V.. Netnography. Sage Publications Thousand Oaks (USA) 2015.

Kucklick, Christoph. The granular society: How the digital is dissolving our reality. Ullstein Taschenbuch Berlin 2016.

Kuhn, Johannes. Technical innovations have been the subject of debate before. Essay Süddeutsche Zeitung online 27.05.2016 (retrieved 15.12.2017: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/digital/samstagsessay-vorsicht-zukunft-1.3008159)

Morozov, Evgeny. Smart new world: digital technology and human freedom. Karl Blessing Verlag Munich 2013.

Pick, Yussi. The echo principle. How online communication has an offline effect. Czernin Vienna 2013.

Protzen, Jean-Pierre and David J. Harris. The Universe of Design: Horst Rittel’s Theories of Design and Planning. Taylor & Francis London 2010.

Reichert, Ramón (ed.). Big Data: Analyses of the digital transformation of knowledge, power and economy. transcript Bielefeld 2014.

Renz, Marcel. The Electrotechnical Exhibition in Frankfurt in 1891 and its consequences. Vdm Verlag Dr. Müller Saarbrücken 2011.

Schwab, Klaus. The Fourth Industrial Revolution. Pantheon Munich 2016.

Stalder, Felix. Culture of digitality. Suhrkamp Berlin 2016.

Link Source of supply Book publication: What is Public Interest Design?

Der Beitrag Shaping digitalization – shaping public interests in the digital transformation of networked societies erschien zuerst auf Farbpsychologie.

On 12. and From 13 October 2018, the HAWK – University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hildesheim, Holzminden, Göttingen, Faculty of Design at the Weinberg Campus in Hildesheim is hosting an international conference on “Color in Design – The Value of Color” together with the Deutsches Farbenzentrum e.V. (DFZ). The collected areas of knowledge and application present current research and development issues with regard to the use of color in design.

The aim of the conference is to promote encounters and the exchange of knowledge and experience in the strategic application of color in design and architectural sub-disciplines. Lectures from various scientific, technological and design disciplines, as well as practical workshops, the color design forum and the light, color design and space laboratory encourage in-depth discussion of the topic. A joint evening event forms the supporting program of the conference.

So far, we can confirm the following participants: Martin Benad, Munich; Studio Besau Marguerre, Hamburg; Prof. Mark Braun, HBK Saar; Prof. Dr. Axel Buether, University of Wuppertal; Prof. Dr. Daniel Martin Feige, ABK Stuttgart; Justine Fox, CalzadaFox, London, UK; Jessica den Hartog, Maastricht, Netherlands; Jörg Held, Texturwerk, Reinheim; Thierry Lescrauwaet, Color Passport, Antwerp, Belgium; Jörg Niederberger, Büren, Switzerland; Nathalie Pagels, Düsseldorf; Prof. Timo Rieke, Hanover; Tomislav Topic & Thomas Granseuer, Quintessenz, Hanover/Berlin; Prof. Markus Schlegel, Frankfurt; Axel Voelcker, Ober-Ramstadt; and many more.

Conference program on the website: www.farbe-im-design.de

October 12, 2018, 4:45–5:15 p.m.
Presentation: Evidence-Based Color Design
Prof. Dr. Axel Buether, University of Wuppertal
Color researcher

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Der Beitrag Evidence-based color design. The Value of Color erschien zuerst auf Farbpsychologie.

Interim report research study: “Assessment of the psychological and medical effects of color and lighting design in intensive care medicine by patients, relatives and staff”

As we have established during several inspections, observations and discussions in intensive care medicine, many key factors in the area of colour and lighting design can be improved and optimized for the well-being and state of health of patients, the trust and satisfaction of relatives and the work motivation and identification of staff. In design practice, however, there is a lack of clear guidelines and recommendations that are based on the current state of research and practice and can be applied in the opinion-forming, planning and decision-making process of clinics. The reason for this is the fundamental lack of study results in this field of application, which can be observed worldwide. The planned study is to be based on initial, much smaller precursors (Richter, P. G. & Ragaller, M. (2003) Assessment of a color-redesigned intensive care unit room by patients and staff.

The planned renovation measures based on the existing color and lighting concept for both wards of the Clinic for Intensive Care Medicine offer a rare opportunity for a scientific study. Both the condition before the renovation and the condition after the renovation are recorded empirically so that comparisons can be made. The information is collected via interviews (qualitative method) and questionnaires for patients, relatives and staff (quantitative method). Survey questionnaires as well as film and photographic observations and documentation are planned as media.

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Der Beitrag Lecture “Color in healthcare construction with a focus on intensive care medicine” erschien zuerst auf Farbpsychologie.

Color in the mind  – From perception to art

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Der Beitrag International Conference “Color in the Mind – From Perception to Art” erschien zuerst auf Farbpsychologie.

Axel Buether

The perception researcher

Professor Axel Buether is a trained stonemason and sculptor, studied architecture and philosophy, completed his doctorate on the subject of “Semiotics of the Visual Space” and today holds the professorship for “Didactics of Visual Communication” at the University of Wuppertal. We spoke to Axel Buether about multisensuality, spatial-visual competence and why we find rooms beautiful.

Professor Buether, how do we perceive space?

Spatial perception takes place via various senses. I use the term multisensuality here, which refers to the comparison of the content of all sensory perceptions: The human brain constructs the world by comparing different sensory impressions with what the respective person has already experienced of the world. Over 99% of this happens unconsciously. This experiential knowledge is stored in implicit memory and is therefore not spontaneously available when we need it most urgently as planners, for example. The explication of our experiential knowledge takes place through verbalization, visualization or other forms of conscious action.

Architects who do not explicitly deal with the fundamentals of their perception design the basic factors for the experience and quality of spaces unconsciously or by instinct, which entails a certain risk for the later use and value, which we have long since overcome in the field of construction. If we do not want to leave the tangible quality of built spaces solely to our gut feeling or the conventions laid down by standards, we must find our way to a curious, exploratory and methodically reflected self-perception and perception of the environment.

Visual perception plays a special role here …

We perceive the vast majority of all environmental information visually, as materials and shapes, smell and taste experiences, states of equilibrium and movements as well as behavioral and action intentions are also visually coded. The syntax of language also functions primarily via vivid images that are evoked at the moment of reading or listening. When thinking, reading, speaking and acting, we always move through our own memory space, which synchronizes with external events at the moment of perception. Only when we have learned to direct the flow of our imaginative images in the process of perception and to systematize the incoming information can we understand the vivid archive of the built space of the past down to the depths of historicity – and thus specifically design new spaces for the shaping of the present and future.

Visual perception is a process of cognition and understanding. In a field of view of about 180° horizontally and 130° vertically, we perceive no more than a radius of about 1° in full spatial resolution and color. That is why we constantly let our eyes wander like a tactile tool, drawing a picture of our reality, which changes throughout our lives and is unique for each person despite many similarities. That’s why we always keep our eyes where something guides us, appeals to us, provokes us – or where something is wrong.

When do we find what we perceive beautiful?

Beauty is a feeling that arises in people at the moment of perception or imagination. Where it is shared by many people, the feeling of beauty is based on biological roots such as instincts and inclinations or social conventions such as customs and fashions that change with time and cultural space. The feeling of beauty is heightened by the impression of grandeur that the sight of people and natural phenomena, as well as buildings, can create.

So not everything in architecture has to be beautiful, but it does have to be planned in a way that is well thought out and easy to understand in terms of the viewer’s perception. Disruptions, errors or special features in the spatial context can be deliberately made part  of a coherent concept if the planner considers how these decisions can be understood by the viewer. I think it is grossly negligent to underestimate the visual intelligence of people who have an intuitive feel for the coherence of spatial structures or compositions. The ability to explicate or verbalize this noticeable discomfort, which motivates spontaneous rejection, is linked to the acquisition of spatial-visual skills, which can only be acquired in an application-oriented manner as part of a professionalization process.

In this sense, we can certainly demand something of people in terms of the aesthetics of built spaces – encourage them to learn and think in a visual way or convince them to face the challenges of modern societies. I call this the “art of vivid communication” or “didactics of visual communication”. Planners shape the experience and use of the cultural space by ensuring the legibility of the ideas underlying the construction of buildings, infrastructures and settlement structures.

How can you plan the perception of spaces, spatial experiences?

In hospitals, for example, it became important for them to appear particularly clean after the discovery of life-threatening hazards caused by poor hygiene, which is why gleaming white surfaces conveyed an important message for a long time. Today, these fears have diminished, but concerns about high-tech treatment methods and anonymous administrative processes have increased. Today, care is taken to design the spatial appearance of hospitals in such a way that people can spontaneously build trust and feel welcomed and secure as individuals.

The perception of space should be shaped according to two different principles: firstly, the sight of a space contains instructions for its use in the sense of a narrative principle: the space tells us how to approach it, what to expect, where to enter it and how to move through it. For the viewer, the perception of space always has a poetic component that eludes purely functional criteria, yet can be perceived and shaped according to affective principles. The quality of the experience can be explored, described and shaped by forming emotional criteria such as well-being, security, inspiration, curiosity or even uncertainty and provocation.

In your work, you distinguish between semantic meaning structure and syntactic action structure. What does that mean?

I already dealt with this question during my dissertation – and answered it at the time using the method of negation. The philosopher Wittgenstein, for example, wrote in his “Remarks on Colours”: “You would actually have to be blind to be able to say anything about colors.” Thus, I distinguish between a semantic structure of meaning and a syntactic structure of action of the space. To stay with the example of the hospital: the semantic design level conveys to the viewer the type of building, i.e. the affiliation to a class of facilities that are functionally related to the sick and healthy of people. The same applies to the typology of parts. In addition, the syntactic design level of a hospital provides us with a multitude of user-specific patterns of action that control the orientation and behavior of all user groups in the space. The spatial differentiation of private, semi-public and public functional areas must be ensured by the language of the space.

Can we sense spaces?

This again shows the aforementioned interweaving of the two fundamental levels of visual perception of spaces, which are reflected in the brain’s data streams. The so-called “what stream” of our visual data leads to the semantic memory, in which information on the typology of the room is stored. The “where or how current”, on the other hand, leads to the motor parts of the cortex, in which the acquired action patterns are stored, which enable us to make topological, gestural and perspective interpretations and control corresponding behavioral reactions. Even before we see the cause of our emotional arousal, a data comparison with all other sensory information has already taken place, while involuntary behavioral reactions are triggered by the release of specific messenger substances. In this way, as soon as we enter a building, we can sense whether we want to stay there, how we will interact with people and how much we trust them. This spontaneous feeling has a significant impact on healing processes, the working atmosphere or our constitution, for example. The visual perception of built spaces determines the way we approach people and institutions – which characterizes the responsibility of all planners to develop their spatial-visual competence throughout their lives.

We are sitting here in your office, taking in the atmosphere of this room. What is happening in our brains right now?

When you look around this room, you see books, tables and chairs, but on the other hand, you also always see patterns of action in these things that prompt us to use them: you don’t just see that there is a chair there, that it belongs to the category of functional office chairs and is less of an indication of the intention of representation. At the same time, they recognize the possibility of sitting on it. They can see its perspective position in the room, which allows them to sit on it backwards without having to rely on their sense of touch or to adjust it to the desired position. You perceive its weight, the seating comfort, the materiality. If I were to knock on it, I would probably confirm their vividly made assumptions about materiality. You will see further patterns of action, such as its stackability or its possible combinations with other objects in the room. They can extend these levels of perception to the entire space, the interior of this office and the exterior space of the University of Wuppertal.

Once again, these are not metaphorical attempts at explanation, but tangible, scientifically verifiable facts about how the human brain works. The performance spectrum of our visual perception is acquired throughout our lives and can also be lost again, whereby the levels mentioned are clearly recognizable and empirically researchable: The fate of stroke patients, for example, shows that semantic and syntactic levels of visual perception exist and can be lost. People see this chair without knowing how to use it. Or they use it as before, even though they can no longer name it when asked due to the stroke-related “deletion” of the category.

A sophisticated museum building on the one hand, a simple functional building on the other – what happens in our minds that we perceive one as more valuable than the other?

From the moment of birth, human beings have phenomenal perception, recognizing patterns of color and light without having learned to focus their gaze along the contrasting boundaries that form shapes. With the simultaneous tactile experience of the world of appearances, more and more links between forms and contrasting boundaries are discovered, revealing the physically materialized surfaces of people, things and spaces or the atmospherically dissolved boundaries of the space of movement. The cognitive process is genetically inherent in us, which is why “learning to see” is successful to a certain extent almost without a teacher, which is why we hardly notice our countless failed attempts or our own progress. The process of the cultural formation of our spatial-visual competence, which is indispensable for modern societies, is completely different, combining related brain functions such as the ability to perceive, the ability to imagine and the countless visual representation skills. Here there are extensive similarities with the concept of verbal language competence, which encompasses not only reading ability, but also writing ability, vocabulary and the ability to express oneself. The coherence of the parts of a building to the whole is therefore not a purely formal problem, as this only becomes apparent through the correspondence of form and content, which includes not only the visual levels described here, but all levels of our spatial perception.

Many phenomena of visual perception cannot be explained using the purely functional concept, as the transcendental properties of space, such as the legibility of contemporary history, also contribute to cultural education. Only then does it become clear why even the smallest parts can severely disrupt the coherence or authenticity of a historical building, as they are perceived as carelessness by the culturally educated observer if no deliberately designed break is recognizable. The built environment is just as important a part of our cultural education as the written word, as it teaches each new generation the historical and contemporary foundations of individual existence and social coexistence. Each new generation poses its own questions about the coherence of built space in relation to the lifeworld of changing societies, which is why historical and contemporary buildings also provide important food for thought for the design of future forms of coexistence.  

The higher a person’s cultural education, the richer the experience of self and the world and the more complex the questions and answers in the process of visual perception of the built space. The development of spatial-visual competence is an indispensable part of the cultural education of all people, as no one can escape the power of experience and functionality of architecture.

This applies not only to planners, but to all trades involved in construction – and to clients, investors and users.

Thank you very much for the interview.

Der Beitrag Why we find rooms beautiful erschien zuerst auf Farbpsychologie.

TV report for the science magazine nano on 3sat by Angelika Lizius

“Everyone is a color expert – we just don’t know about it”

says color researcher Prof. Axel Buether

Only one percent of color is consciously processed in the brain.

Blue relaxes 83 percent of people. Red makes you dynamic and self-confident, while white makes you childish. Nevertheless, the message of a color is not always clear – red stands for love and sensuality, but also for anger and aggression: “We have discovered that we have an extensive color language that was already present in humans long before we even had the language of words at our disposal,” explains the color researcher.

Colors influence our body language and facial expressions. People who wear blue are attracted to open spaces and have an open posture. They photograph upwards, showing the sky and the horizon. “Color affects our experience and behavior, and ultimately also changes how we encounter the world,” says Buether.

The color researchers conducted an experiment in which they asked 500 students how different colors affect them. They photographed and statistically analyzed their impressions.

Complete article: Knowledge magazine Nano 3Sat

13 colors – 500 researchers – 1,000,000 images (publication in preparation)

Research seminar, Department of Color Light Space, Prof. Dr. Axel Buether
Artistic and creative basics, Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle

Der Beitrag TV report nano 3sat “Researchers show: Colors change our behavior” erschien zuerst auf Farbpsychologie.