E & PP Session 1: What are your motivations for making work in this field?

Mo•ti•va•tion – The state or condition of being motivated, or something that motivates; inducement, incentive.

“The psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior.”
- Dictionary.com


I have been asked to comment on my motivations for working within the field of New Media under the heading below.

• Money?

My main wish is to have financial stability, but to become excessively wealthy is far from my agenda. I wish to support the few around me who have helped me throughout my life. However, if by some remarkably bizarre turn of events I do become rich, one would hope I would use the money for good as apposed to ill…call that naivety of youth if you would!?! But to be honest, being from a run-down industrial town along the South Wales coast, I would probably not know what to do with it anyway.

• Fame?

Fame is such a dirty word these days. We live in an age where people are famous for simply being famous, not because of their achievements. I have no ambition to join the apathetic hoards of brain dead celebrities such as Paris Hilton, who’s only purpose in life is to pervert humanity. If I was to acquire fame or glory, one would hope it would be on the grounds of merit and merit only…who knows, maybe some day! But as Napoleon once said “Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.”

• Contribution to knowledge?

Probably along with everyone else, I desire a purpose in life. I wish to achieve greater clarity in life and to become more knowledgeable. I believe this can only be achieved by working hard and contributing any knowledge learned to the greater good of humanity.

• For the good of society?

Throughout my time on a previous design course I had serious concerns with the integrity of some people I came in contact with. However, New Media has opened my eyes to many new things I would have never considered before (e.g. using blogs as a tool for investigative journalism). However, while studying on my previous course I had many grievances. For example, I fail to see how a series of lectures on designing products to break after the warranty runs out is ethical or conducive to the greater good of society.

New technologies might be considered good by the majority, but I really do wonder if there will become a time when the majority of humanity becomes obsolete. Being Welsh I understand how changing times and technologies can affect an entire nation. Our greatest achievements could penultimately lead to our downfall.
I have no intention to follow a Product Design career, but pehaphs within the field of New Media. Whatever I do, I hope my efforts would be conducive to society.


Are these motivations apparent in your personal project?


I believe so; I am concerned with the issue of Freedom of Speech, specifically “Internet Censorship in China.” This topic was chosen because I believe it is a serious issue that needs greater publicity. This is especially true while I was conducting my research as I believe Internet Censorship is an issue which affects every net user throughout the world, not just the people of China.



Identify examples of projects that exemplify each of these possible motivations, (and any other that you may think of.)


* Amnesty International online, 2002, People’s Republic of China: State Control of the Internet.

http://web.amnesty.org/web/content.nsf/pages/gbr_china_internet

* Irrepressible, an Amnesty International Campaign
http://irrepressible.info/

* The Open Net Iniative: Internet Filtering in China in 2004-2005: A Country Study http://www.opennetinitiative.net/studies/china/
* Reporters Without Borders, 2004. Internet Under Surveillance! Obstacles to the Free Flow of Information Online: China.

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=10749

* Reporters Without Borders, Handbook for Cyber Dissidents
http://www.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/handbook_bloggers_cyberdissidents-GB.pdf

To sum up, it is fair to say that someone has probably already expressed our feeling already, usually far better than we can too. When I looked at these questions I was immediately reminded of a quote from a well known American author and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau which stated -

“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.”