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7 - Critical Literacy and Critical Design
- Edited by Alison Hicks, University College London, Annemaree Lloyd, University College London, Ola Pilerot, University College of Borås, Sweden
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- Book:
- Information Literacy through Theory
- Published by:
- Facet
- Published online:
- 26 March 2024
- Print publication:
- 07 December 2023, pp 111-130
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Summary
Introduction
Information and information systems are designed in many ways and on many levels, including the choice of content included or excluded; graphical layouts and linguistic choices; the crafting of internal structures, links and metadata; and the contextual embedding of units and systems into networks of others. Much current research and development in infor - mation design-related areas emphasise ‘solutionist’ approaches, whereby design is intended to resolve externally defined ‘problems’, while simultaneously striving to achieve user experiences that are as ‘seamless’, ‘intuitive’, ‘transparent’ and ‘immersive’ as possible. The argument here, in contrast, emphasises critical literacy-motivated needs and possibilities of designing for the opposite; of designing in ways that highlight and problematise the limited and biased character of information representations – and that make visible and inspire reflection and dialogue on critically informed future improved alternatives. This argument is achieved by way of introducing concepts and theories associated with the field of critical design to elaborate theoretical and empirical understandings of and approaches to critical literacy.
A primary motivation for this combination is the recognition of a foundational ‘problem of representation’ affecting conditions for and consequences of all forms of information construction, use and exchange, with related power imbalances. This position postulates two particularly important things: (a) for objects, entities, experiences, events and actions to become information, they have to be represented somehow; and (b) that this representational requirement is not only unavoidable but problematic. Representation in the sense implied here is what gives potentially informative resources and entities a form, structure and context with subjective and social meaning potential (cf. Blackwell, 2013; Buckland and Ramos, 2010; Johansson, 2012; Johansson and Stenlund, 2021). Whether sorted in mental categories, expressed through spoken discourse, visualised as data points on a map, enacted by a bodily gesture or processed and published as a written academic publication, representational tools in the form of concepts, classifications, grammar, visual forms, colour schemes and even body language are necessary verbal and non-verbal representation schemes (‘structuring devices’, Buckland and Ramos, 2010) for the construction of information that is meaningful and communicable across bodies, minds, places and times.
The problem, in this view, is that all representational tools are situated constructs and, as such, malleable to social and material limitations, bias and variations across times, cultures and contexts (cf. Beaulieu, 2002; Blackwell, 2013; Drucker, 2014; 2020).
Locked Out: Ignorance and Responsibility in Brain–Computer Interface Communication in Locked-in Syndrome
- VERONICA JOHANSSON, SURJO R. SOEKADAR, JENS CLAUSEN
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- Journal:
- Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics / Volume 26 / Issue 4 / October 2017
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 22 September 2017, pp. 555-576
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- Article
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Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) can enable communication for persons in severe paralysis including locked-in syndrome (LIS); that is, being unable to move or speak while aware. In cases of complete loss of muscle control, termed “complete locked-in syndrome,” a BCI may be the only viable solution to restore communication. However, a widespread ignorance regarding quality of life in LIS, current BCIs, and their potential as an assistive technology for persons in LIS, needlessly causes a harmful situation for this cohort. In addition to their medical condition, these persons also face social barriers often perceived as more impairing than their physical condition. Through social exclusion, stigmatization, and frequently being underestimated in their abilities, these persons are being locked out in addition to being locked-in. In this article, we (1) show how persons in LIS are being locked out, including how key issues addressed in the existing literature on ethics, LIS, and BCIs for communication, such as autonomy, quality of life, and advance directives, may reinforce these confinements; (2) show how these practices violate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and suggest that we have a moral responsibility to prevent and stop this exclusion; and (3) discuss the role of BCIs for communication as one means to this end and suggest that a novel approach to BCI research is necessary to acknowledge the moral responsibility toward the end users and avoid violating the human rights of persons in LIS.