How can we reclaim our relationship with the spaces around us?

Wayward attempts to address issues of how social media has affected our relationship with the public sphere. Since the mainstream adoption of social media starting around the start of the millenium, our streams of communication have largely changed in regards to how much we interact with our surroundings.

According to The Social Life of Wireless Urban Spaces: Internet Use, Social Networks, and the Public Realm, people tend to prioritize mobile interaction over interpersonal interaction, particularly with strangers. As a result, mobile usage create private temporary “bubbles” within the public realm. These bubbles provide individuals with the comfort of familiarity and could insulate them from the social diversity of urban spaces.

How much is social media today actually a part of the public sphere?

Can our interactions on social media be considered public?

Given the diversity of the cities we live in, how can we gain access to these differing ideologies and culture using both the communicative power of the internet and the chaotic nature of public spaces?

Is it possible to blend both public and private realms while retaining the pros of existing in both?

Problem

Mobiles phones create private bubbles that close people off from the world, inhibiting the possibilities of the public realm.

The public realm offers many opportunities for exchange of ideology and culture, only if one is willing to open themselves up for that exchange. The project takes the form of an application that will enable us to look around and feel connected to these spaces of exchange.

Why are these spaces so important? More exposure to public spaces broadens people’s expectations of the world around them. They create a sense of belonging to a community. When children are exposed to different ideologies at a young age, they realize that there are different ways to experience life. The space can also serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas. The more people interact, the more they can learn about each other, which leads to more empathetic people.

Coming soon!

This project is still under development.