Shared Encounters: Content Sharing as Social Glue in Public Space

Workshop at ACM SIGCHI 2007, San Jose, California Sunday April 29th 2007 Our everyday lives are characterized by encounters, some are fleeting and ephemeral and others are more enduring and meaningful exchanges. Shared encounters are the glue of social networks, although our everyday encounters are increasingly mediated by communications technologies that free up our social interaction from fixed spatial settings. We propose that content sharing through mobile and ubiquitous technologies, consciously situated in public space is a valuable new social practice.It can contribute towards redefining boundaries of access between communities, and create more fulfilling sustained encounters in Spatial settings. In this context we aim to: - identify the types of encounters, and the characteristics which make an encounter a rich experience - understand the qualities of situations which sustain shared encounters - investigate how sharing through mass media and personal media provide ways for people to communicate and engage with others - differentiate the relationship between the types of social groups in networked communities - determine the components of situated computing which enable them to act as key enabling platforms [b]Important dates:[/b] > Jan. 12th 2007: Position papers due. > Feb. 1st, 2007: Notification of acceptance. > Apr. 29th 2007: Workshop. For more information: http://www.mediacity-project.org/shared-encounters