This website will host recruitment material and updates related to research activities. 

Through my project, I aim to critically examine power dynamics prevalent in the design of emerging technologies and support the creation of future technologies to be more inclusive and empowering for marginalized people. The everyday functioning of our society is becoming increasingly dependent on digital technologies such as social media platforms, virtual assistants, eCommerce applications, financial applications, consumer delivery platforms like food delivery and ride-sharing platforms and even entertaining games with virtual worlds and virtual characters. Based on the real-world intersectional identities of the users of these technologies, new identity profiles in the form of virtual profiles and data sets emerge. These virtual identities may allow us to receive personalized services and imagine ourselves in empowering new ways. However, they can also increase harmful biases and discrimination inside and outside the virtual world.

Different stakeholders of emerging technologies like the creators and funders of big tech companies greatly influence power dynamics and outcomes for less powerful stakeholders like marginalized groups of people. For example, machine bias in policing algorithms has caused mistreatment and unfair sentencing of persons of colour. Without collective efforts, tech innovations can be more of a tool of power for elites than for the groups that suffer from different kinds of exploitation and marginalization by the design of these technologies.

Project Plan 

A project plan overview will be posted here.

Current status of project

Pending approval from REB to conduct primary research activities.