Empathic Media: Theory-Building and Knowledge-Exchange with Industry, Regulators and NGOs

This proposed project is founded on one seemingly strange observation: media are increasingly showing signs of being empathic. This reflects not just a niche area of media technology - but, if interest in wearable technology is anything to go by, we are heading towards a society where life is truly mediated. Empathic media refers to the capacity for new media technologies to sense, interpret and act on the emotional states of people, and to make use of people's intentions and expressions in generating textual and personalised media experiences. Cues perceived by what I term 'empathic media' include physiological change (eg pupil dilation, pulse, heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature or respiration), electrodermal responses, pheromones, galvanic skin response (eg sweat), facial/body expressions, voice inflection and sound (potentially beyond human range). In each case, empathic media involve systems that monitor our behaviour by means of bodily movement and outputs, engaging with people in a personalised capacity, and doing this by means of tailored textual experiences.

Empathic media are the next step in behavioural media, or those tracking practices associated with some of the world's largest online media companies, such as Google and Facebook, whose business models depend on tracking and making sense of our mediated activities. Empathic media include, for instance, Microsoft's Xbox via Kinect (a plug-in device that visually detects motion) that scans the content of rooms in which they are placed and monitors biometric responses to advertising. Not alone, Sony and Verizon have developed very similar televisual feedback systems. Other empathic media on the horizon include Google Glass (augmented reality glasses); networked wrist watches with tracking and bio-sensors; networked clothing and handbags (with global positioning applications); baby clothes able to soothe babies; and garments able to monitor bodily data for purposes ranging from health awareness and self-regulation to comparing sporting performance with others. Whether used for more precisely targeted advertising, or by individuals to better look after their own health, each form of empathic media involves the ability to sense what is significant for people, and make use of both their expressions and intentions, so acting on their emotional states.

To study empathic media in greater depth, I seek knowledge exchange by means of semi-structured interviews (conversations with a purpose) with 20+ start-up and established organisations in the US and UK. This comprises companies involved in producing empathic media; advertising agencies seeking to make use of new creative, interactive and data-oriented opportunities generated from empathic media; regulators in Europe and the UK tasked with managing these technologies; and NGOs concerned about privacy. Importantly, through detailed case study analysis of a range of empathic media, I will assess: (a) the 'affordances' of the technologies themselves (ie what properties they possess and what they enable users, and companies, to do); and (b) the political-economic, social and legal issues that these media technologies raise.

Outputs will include one monograph on empathic media that theorises them in relation to existing behavioural practices, explores philosophical implications in regard to whether they can "really" know us, and assesses the adequacy of existing privacy laws and norms. Later outputs entail: two empirical journal papers in world-leading journals that advance theory and understanding in light of interviews conducted; three conference papers at major international Media conferences; three reports targeted by sector (industry, regulation and NGOs) and meetings with end-users to deliver these; key findings placed online; public talks and social media engagement; already agreed mass media appearances on BBC radio; and a journalistic article for The Conversation, an RC-UK/Guardian journalism project.

Sector-specific impacts are envisaged across industry, regulators, NGOs and the public. I seek to affect organisations by raising awareness of other stakeholders' perspectives and by highlighting the social implications of empathic media (good and bad).

Sector-specific impacts include:
- Industry. By identifying empathic media as an identifiable 'assemblage', the research will raise advertising agency awareness of the potential for privacy-friendly, and opt-in, interactive empathic advertising. This will enhance creative and economic competitiveness of UK advertising agencies to which research will be delivered personally (other agencies can access the research online).
- Regulators. This research will help regulators and those responsible for managing data processing/privacy processes understand this emergent suite of media that make use of biometrics, wearable technology, and more granular ways of reading and understanding people. These represent a significant challenge to regulators. Eg, empathic media raise philosophical implications for subjectivity, with practical importance for identifying who the user actually is in privacy legislation on data processing. This research seeks to diagnose and clarify the properties of empathic media, and their regulatory implications. Impact will comprise more informed policy-making at Welsh, UK and European levels regarding emergent empathic media forms.
- NGOs. These play a key civic function in monitoring industry and pressuring legislators. Impact will arise from offering clear diagnosis of this novel suite of media, and what uses they enable. Knowledge can be used to enhance accuracy and persuasiveness of NGO campaign strategies where processes are deemed privacy-invasive. Gleaning and sharing (where ethically possible) the perspectives of other key actors in industry and regulatory sectors will enable NGOs to better understand perspectives and pressures of regulators and industry actors.
- The public. The public will be offered knowledge of empathic media developments alongside their pros and cons; the perspectives of key actors identified above; and an understanding of who they should complain to if unhappy and how they can get involved with NGOs campaigning on privacy matters. As such, the public will be empowered to make better-informed decisions regarding their use of empathic media.

These impacts will arise through knowledge-exchange activities, starting with interviews with 20+ organisations across industry, regulators and NGOs. Insights developed from these interviews and case study research will be distilled into three sector-targeted Key Findings reports. Building on productive relationships developed through interviews, these Key Findings will be disseminated to relevant industry (media and technology companies/advertising businesses), regulatory organisations (European Commission, UK and Wales Information Commissioner's Offices) and NGOs involved with campaigning on privacy matters [Open Rights Group and Big Brother Watch]). These Key Findings reports (each 3000 words) will be targeted by sector and stakeholder requirements. With different degrees of emphasis depending on sector, this will include an overview of the nature and constituents of empathic media, and the perspectives of other stakeholders on key issues (such as consequences of empathic media for privacy norms, for creative opportunities in advertising, for NGO campaigning, and for legislation/regulation). Where feasible, Key Findings will also be delivered in person to stakeholders interviewed to enable clarifications, to maintain dialogue, and to cement ongoing working relations.
The public will be engaged through public talks (also web-cast) at Bangor University, social media postings (eg on my own Twitter account), mass media appearances (BBC, The Conversation) and online hosting of all Key Findings (on University research pages, University social media outlets and my own personal pages).