IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - December 2016 - 33

CORDELIA
"Area Girl" and Leader of the "Area Boys"
by Yining Zhou
How and where do you watch the equivalent of a 'film'?
Cordelia goes to a small private showroom and watches pirated DVDs. The owner of the place, Agu, was her neighbor when
she was young, so he never charges Cordelia for the movies. In return, Cordelia's group provides protection for his business.
Agu received approval from Cordelia to hang a screen under one of the main bridges, creating a "theater on the water." Area
boys take charge of security in Makoko, and they also ask for toll. Cordelia's group is specifically responsible for policing the bridges.
How do you have a shared Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality experience?
Cordelia uses AR for collective purposes rather than personal interest. She is able to monitor fights in distant places, and decides
if her 'policing' team should go provide support. The device consists of two parts: one is a wearable cell-phone-sized processor;
the other is a pair of lenses, thinner than contact lenses, placed directly on the eyeball. AR is also an alternative communication
channel for those who want to keep touch with Lagos in the dark. They try to get around Makoko's surveillance system, which is
embedded in the local network. Virtual Reality might be inaccessible for Cordelia due to her limited access to energy, technology,
and related creative resources.
What tech is your character carrying on them every day?
Cordelia still carries two mobile phones, one for contacting family and her "boys"; one for talking with the "big names."
What is the smallest piece of tech that you own?
A passcode transmitter. Cordelia wears it around the back of her neck, as a tribe tattoo. She receives and sends encrypted
message through the transmitter. The information includes: secret meetings, missing persons, and visiting 'aliens.' She uses the
solar-powered transmitter to create and maintain community boundaries. Cordelia hardly wears a high-collared shirt. She wears
necklaces constantly to cover the tattoo.
What is your favorite piece of tech?
A matchbox-sized health monitor used to keep track of her mother's health. The device measures blood pressure, heart,
breathing, and perspiration rates. Her mother lives alone most of the time since her brother went to the floating school.
How is your favorite piece of tech powered?
Lithium batteries.
Yining Zhou is a journalist, researcher and media artist, she is studying in the Annen-berg School for Communication and
Journalism at USC, completing the second year of her dual degree master program in Global Communication. She is a
storyteller and animation enthusiast. yiningzhou-14@gmail.com
Figure 4. Yining Zhou's character, Cordelia, and her answers to the six questions regarding the future of media in Makoko.

how a person wants to work, as there is no longer a
ubiquitous object.
Community needs also facilitated health-based trackers and technology. Health monitors help families stay
connected, as the family bond is somewhat broken due
to increased specialization of work (Makokoans work
more individually in the future than as a family unit, as
they do now). We discovered they also have monitors
for water and air quality, an example of technology
responding to community need, as life expectancy in
Makoko is particularly low. Along the same lines, the
community has clothing that becomes waterproof in
order to create a seal for health, for example if a person
falls into polluted water.
In terms of the Internet, Makoko 2036 relies on a
combination of local and international servers, utilizing a
distributed server and shared hard drives. This also helps
decrease the size of the tech. When it comes to power for
tech, the community relies on solar cells, batteries, conductive clothing meshes that pick up radio waves to
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receive power, as well as wireless charging, and drone
technology that also supplies energy over the water.

Software, 2036
Our findings in terms of software were based on extrapolations from our descriptions of systems. In order to maintain its self-sufficiency, Makoko has developed a universal
Internet and energy network. In terms of device control,
we found that in addition to tactile interfaces, our devices
utilize vocal commands and neural technology, the neural
technology allowing for sublingual utterances and gesture
for device navigation and interpersonal communication.
Software allows for collective meetings, including remote
video sharing for policing and support. In order to easily
create VR and AR content, small format editing tools will
be developed. We discovered that there are complex
apps, but also apps for simple things including radio,
which Noah uses regularly to build community. Makokoans use media and software to build social and community identity. Therefore, connection and community

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - December 2016