My thesis work provides a thoughtful critique through the lens of critical analyses of my experience as a Visual Communication Design student at Indiana Wesleyan University in tandem with a personal reflection of my experience working for three years in social media management and design. The body of writing focuses on the systems of Instagram and Facebook to explore the heartbeat of a problem that caused great tension in me. The evidence of harm revealed in The Facebook Files, a Wall Street Journal Investigation, validates the need for ethical reform in the design of social media systems. My exploratory research method leveraged the pedagogy of my design professors in the Art + Design Division and expanded the framework I learned within to include experiential knowledge. Embracing humanity informs my process of designing differently. I proposed metrics that assess user well-being and social impact must be built into the framework of social media services to ensure users’ dignity is honored. Advised by Herb Vincent Peterson.
The Art + Design Division opened studio spaces for Seniors to further their research in late November.
I scanned and hung each page of my sketchbook in chronological order, also making enlargements of my Miro board so I could make discoveries and synthesize findings.
I ordered themes in my research by using sticky notes to begin forming a story with my synthesized findings.
To make connections in my second- semester research, I put up the themes from the first semester on yellow sticky notes and then scanned all pages of my sketchbook with notes from my lit review in chronological order.
