Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
heroes Edward Snowden and Julian Assange's whistleblowing are seen by many as
leading the way for modern day activists. A powerful use for future AR activists
would be mixing Snowden's information with Anonymous's hacktivism to create
a real time AR visualization of corruption and injustice. Not just the idea of being
spied upon but being able to see it as it's happening. This would take Snowden's
revelations to another level. Groups like Anonymous could hack live data streams
of the political and corporate elite's wrongdoing and turned them into real time AR
visualizations that could be seen around the world. An example is the prototype The
Protester's Survival App which was developed during the OWS Movement. The
work was made in reaction to the H.R. 347 bill and the Trespass Bill of 2011. They
stated that if certain locations were entered by protesters, they could receive a 10
year jail sentence. The problem was these locations were invisible and could move
without warning. Being at the wrong place at the wrong time could equal a long jail
sentence. The Protester's Survival App and AR made these locations visible. This
type of application not only keeps activists out of jail but it saves taxpayers a costly
legal process.
Another area that shows great promise for AR as a tool for activism is the
further development of AR creation apps (discussed in Sect.
1.15
). AR creation apps
democratize AR by giving the public a tool which they can use to create their own
message or idea. Allowing the public to create “anything” with very little effort is
the ideal for crowdsourcing. Harnessing the combined creative power of the public
is a very powerful thing allowing an activist to create incredible amounts of work
that one person could not possibly do on their own. The collective consciousness of
the public makes it possible to generate a wide range of ideas allowing the group's
overall message to stay fresh, unique and unexpected. An example app is CreatAR15
by downloading the app and asking for it. People can create and edit whatever they
want wherever they want as well as upload their own creations.
In the future activists will be able to record and leave historical events where they
happened in HD 3D along with sound. They will have the ability to fast forward and
rewind time on site and share it instantly around the world. This will be just one
of many consumer grade tools available to the future activist. The science fiction of
today is quickly becoming the freeware of tomorrow. Activists need to be ready to
utilize this technology as it becomes available.
1.19
Closing
Where does the activist's responsibility lie? At what point is he or she to be held
accountable when something goes wrong? Difficult questions face activists working
with AR. Being able to view the work anywhere by a rapidly growing population
can be a danger. Creating works in locations which could jeopardize the safety of
the person(s) viewing the work has become very very easy. This can be done with
a great degree of anonymity and literally a few clicks. To achieve the same result
