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Talk title: Reimagining Tech Design: Crafting Inclusive Futures Through Alternative Narratives
Talk Abstract: Technology permeates nearly every facet of our lives—it shapes our health and well-being, transforms our work and workplaces, and revolutionizes transportation and education. However, this digital transformation has been far from equitable. Studies reveal that job seekers and entrepreneurs from lower-income and underrepresented ethnic groups are often excluded from the benefits of digital platforms designed to bolster these aspects of our lives. They not only remain on the margins of technological benefits but are also conspicuously absent from popular technology design fiction or speculative critical design scenarios. In this presentation, I draw inspiration from my research in Detroit’s resilient working-class communities and unveil innovative approaches to capturing alternative narratives of digital futures. I will also delve into strategies essential for disseminating these narratives widely. My team’s objective is to harness these narratives as a dynamic catalyst, driving the transformation of technology design toward a future marked by inclusivity, diversity, and equity.
Speaker Bio: Tawanna Dillahunt is a 2023-2024 MIT MLK Fellow in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning and an associate professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Information. She holds a courtesy appointment with the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department. She leads the Social Innovations Group (SIG), an interdisciplinary group of individuals whose vision is to design, build, and enhance technologies to solve real-world problems affecting marginalized groups and individuals primarily in the U.S. Her current projects aim to address unemployment, environmental sustainability, and technical literacy by fostering social and socio-technical capital within these communities. At MIT, she is working to explore and raise the visibility of alternative economic futures for Black and Brown Detroiters.
Tawanna is a 2022-2023 William Bentinck-Smith Fellow at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, an ACM Distinguished Member, and an inaugural Skip Ellis Early Career Award recipient.