Reading Response
This was a fun chapter to read, as it was not what I had imagined when thinking about “social design”. Upon reading the title, I assumed that we would be in for a discussion of the social networking platforms that dominate our culture, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. However, I like how this chapter sets this aside (maybe because they do not exemplify the principles of Artful Design…and actually adversely impact our mental health), in favor of discussing more nuanced and subtle design approaches.
There is a lot to talk about here, but I will focus on one of the core themes in this chapter: anonymity, and how it can actually facilitate and encourage free expression. I personally have not played many mobile music-games like the ones discussed here (Magic Piano, Ocarina, Leaf Trombone, etc.) so the concept of these bite-sized, anonymous, and social-bond-forming experiences was very interesting and novel. I can see how anonymity, in the case of music-making, may lift some inhibitions that we may feel about performing.
I have often been annoyed with the bipartite treatment of musical expression into ‘performer’ and ‘audience’, and tend to seek out experiences where such a distinction is blurred or nonexistent. I always thought it was strange how in the United States, one’s singing voice is treated almost as an extension of one’s personal character, skill, and beauty. By and large, people are afraid to sing in front of others due to embarrassment–even in, say, a karaoke bar! I think this enculturation of the performer-audience dynamic is likely to blame. It would be great if such social inhibitions were lowered, and the anonymity and ‘game-ness’ of the mobile apps described in this chapter seem to be a great way to break down those barriers.
On the other hand, I wonder why such platforms are not more mainstream or commonly used? Is it possible that there are aspects of the non-anonymized performance-mindset that attract us? Perhaps there is something to be said for musical expression as an extension of personal identity. While tootling along to Hey Jude on Leaf Trombone might be intensely personal for somebody out there, the platform itself sort of rests on a premise of lighthearted fun, rather than “serious” music making. Compared to a singer-songwriter uploading a clip of them singing an original song, the authenticity, vulnerability, and trueness to the artist’s creative identity is lacking.
Clearly, there are advantages and disadvantages to each mode of social-music-making, but I wonder whether there is a way to bridge the gap through new technologies. Following the principles in this chapter, might we be able to lower social inhibitions and encourage users to “do their thing” without an overbearing technological mechanism, while still allowing for depth of emotional, subjective, personal expression that comes with non-anonymity?