The Mall: A world-building speculation on the future of privacy

• Main Author: Asif, Hazem
• Format: Others
• Published: VCU Scholars Compass 2018
• Subjects: Speculative design; Dystopia; Privacy; Design Fiction; Sci-Fi; Social Disparities; Film and Media Studies; Graphic Design; Illustration; Interdisciplinary Arts and Media
• Online Access: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/5403; https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6525&context=etd

This thesis is a science fiction exploration of a future dystopian world where privacy becomes a dominant currency that is distributed according to social class and ranking mechanisms. It utilizes speculative world-building to study the unanticipated implications of technology on personal privacy, surveillance and social inequality on future societies. The project introduces The Mall, as a highly efficient and hyper-connected world, but also exposes its downfall as a society with heightened cultural and socio-political disparities. Inspired by past civilizations, the development of the modern nation-state as well as contemporary society, the design adapts, appropriates and reformulates existing cultures into new hybrid possibilities. This thesis project is presented as an illustrated coded tapestry that allows the viewer to explore and interact with various components of the narrative to speculate and critique an alternative future-world void of privacy.