IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - December 2016 - 31

Results
Please see Figures 2-7 to read our student responses in
their own voice. These are followed by a summary of
our takeaways.

Summary of Takeaways
After the students generated individual content answering each question, they shared their information with
the class and the instructors facilitated a discussion to
synthesize the takeaways. As we completed this process, we also continued to step back and reflect on how
each character's connections to others helped us create
a nuanced picture of the entire state of media and technology in Makoko 2036. In returning to this collaborative mode, the team was able to identify and fill in holes
in their knowledge of the world. It is important to note
that all further references to Makoko and Makokoans
are in relation to a speculative, fictional and future
Makoko of 2036.

Technology + Hardware, 2036
Within the area of technology and hardware, our
research revealed an approach concurrent with the
idea of technogenesis: Makokoans coevolve with, continuously integrate and adapt to technologycompiling
and collecting new uses in relation to need, rather
than simply augmenting their capabilities in a linear
fashion. We also learned that, for future Makokoans,

Any storyteller can weave a
compelling narrative, but world
builders create story worlds that
support myriad stories by multiple
storytellers across disparate platforms.
the idea of "high tech" no longer exists in this world;
as all technologies become simply "tech" as they are
culturally integrated, and are therefore unspecial
beyond their potential for integration. It quickly
became apparent that creative demands drive technology in this maker community. Along the same lines,
future Makokoans rely on recycled, repurposed, and
stolen tech, as well as crowdfunding and crowdsourcing as methods for developing technology according to
community demand.
We also discovered a collection of particularly
unique technologies and media assets. First, our smallest tech included a tiny fungus scratcher that gathers
and transmits data on the status of a water-gathering
fungus to an augmented reality (AR) device. Second, in
order to maintain community boundaries - including

JAY AUSTIN
by Eduardo Oliveira
How and where do you watch the equivalent of a 'film'?
I watch my daily soap opera while I wait for public transportation. After dropping my AR goggles in the lagoon, I've
been using this handmade paraphernalia my neighbor put together for me. He bought the parts in the street market
and welded it himself. I attach it to my eyeglasses, and it works well; I only use it for watching short clips.
How do you have a shared Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality experience?
The community center has some really sophisticated AR goggles, and once a month we meet to watch a piece
some NGO is sponsoring (we also watch pirated copies in unofficial events). We meet on the floating platform next
to the school, which is one of our few open spaces.
What tech is your character carrying on them every day?
I bring my handmade DIY AR device everywhere. Since I am illiterate, it helps me find transportation, pay bills,
watch content and communicate with others.
What is the smallest piece of tech?
I harvest fungal colonies in a method I developed to collect water from the atmosphere. The smallest piece of tech I
wear is a device on my nail. I scratch the fungus and the device immediately sends data to my AR device
(temperature, humidity, nutrients, etc).
How is your favorite piece of tech powered?
I charge it at home whenever there is electricity. If not, I ask a neighbor who owns a generator (my next door
neighbor has wind energy and his batteries are constantly full). l have a large social network from trading water.
Eduardo Oliveira is a Rio de Janeiro-based architect attending the Master of Advanced Architectural
Studies at USC, where he is developing research on informality and open-ended urbanism. dudeargila@yahoo.com.br
Figure 2. Eduardo Oliveira's character "Jay Austin" and his answers to the six questions regarding the future of media in Makoko.

DECember 2016

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