I will be giving a keynote at the Ethical XR Symposium at Florida Atlantic University on Friday, February 21st, 2020.
Event Description
The ethical issues that complicate the work of designers, developers, and marketers are producing responses from many areas. Within science and technology studies, the chorus of critical voices is growing. Some companies driving emerging technologies are adding ethicists and humanists to their ranks. Following Lisa Nakamura’s observation that “Other” bodies and experiences can still be objectified and disavowed, even socially conscious VR programs are reflecting on the ostensible value of empathy.
“Ethical XR” is a symposium for these and other ethically driven concerns regarding the design, construction, and use of technologies all along Paul Milgram’s “virtuality continuum,” including virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality. We invite proposals from scholars, practitioners, developers, and parties with a stake in XR, to a forum at the intersection of theory and practice. We want designers and producers to enhance their historical knowledge as they further develop best practices, and aim to give critical scholars a chance to engage with practitioners, including engineers working to capitalize on technological advancements, as well as with developers already committed to socially responsible production.
Bringing together practitioners and scholars, we hope to conceive of new ethical frameworks to safeguard our individual and social well-being. This is a multidisciplinary venue to think more deeply about the meanings and impact of XR.
“Ethical XR” will take place in Florida, a hotspot of VR and AR enterprises. We believe that opening channels between fields of craft and critique are a way to foster learning, impact technological implementation, and envision the future.
Danya Glabau 