Today's social networks are undergoing a multitude of crises, which means there is both a need for and momentum for change. Alternative conceptual and technological environments are taking shape thanks to the commotion around Web3, the Distributed Web, and Decentralized Autonomous Organizations.
A 15-week hybrid bootcamp will alternate online participation with week-long periods spent in person at La Plateforme in Marseille. We will aim to imagine and prototype alternative decentralized social networks. Participants will form interdisciplinary teams to undergo a design-led process ranging from observation, to ideation, to, finally, a proof-of-concept prototype. We will raise such questions as :
How to build social networks that would protect our relationships and privacy?
How to ensure the legitimacy of information disseminated through social networks?
What new insights can experimenting with decentralized technologies introduce towards bespoke use cases, manageable scale, and autonomous organizing of communities?
Free of charge, travel to Marseille and accommodation covered by the program. Courses held in English
Hybrid program : 11 weeks online, 4 weeks at La Plateforme in Marseille.
Application deadline : Monday March 20, 2023
Participant Profiles
We will select a complementary set of participant profiles in order to form interdisciplinary teams. EU residents are eligible to apply. Proven experience in related fields is required (however, there is no degree requirement) :
Three skill-up tracks
Three learning tracks running throughout the course of the program will aim to boost students' skills and provide knowledge required for creating a quality social network prototype. Each student must choose at least one track, but may also attend others :
Observation Track
Optimized for social science practitioners and social entrepreneurs; participants in the observation track will use research-through-design methods to gather community insights to nourish the project.UX/UI Track
Aimed at designers and artists; participants in the UX track will discuss the history and politics of user experience and interface design in social media, as well as learn some practical UI skills (using Penpot).Web Development Track
In this track, participants will engage with theory and practice related to various Web3 notions, look at development frameworks of dApps, and explore the technical and ideological patterns woven throughout the decentralized web.Takeaways
Experience interdisciplinary team work
Acquire new methods for coming up with and prototyping ideas :
observation and field work
speculative design
UX/UI design and UX research
Web3 concepts and development
Work with local communities to understand how they use social media, to come up with ideas grounded in field observations
Develop a proof-of-concept prototype of a decentralized social network
Program elements
Observation exercises and tools
Speculative design and design foresight activities and methods
Introduction to user experience research
Overview of Web3, the distributed web, and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs)
Workshops interrogating current and near-future states of social media (from the internet of things to the Metaverse)
New profile-specific skills and knowledge (UX design and user research, blockchain technologies, observation toolkits) thanks to skill-up tracks (see section below)
Presentation/pitch training