Students and researchers brainstorm digital tools against racism
In the workshops, the students identified problems that occur on social media channels popular with teenagers, such as racism, discrimination, hate speech and bullying.
“Artificial Intelligence powered technologies such as social media play an important role in society as they might contribute to the spread of hate speech and discrimination towards certain groups. Today, being an active citizen requires understanding the role of technology in societal issues such as racism and being critical towards it. Envisioning alternatives to current social media designs helps to develop such critical technological literacy,” says Eva Durall Gazulla, Academy postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oulu who co-leads the Critical ChangeLab project with professor Marianne Kinnula.
The students participated in a process that combined analysis, discussion, reflection and creativity to brainstorm future social media applications that addressed the challenges they identified. They started by reflecting on their own social media feeds. The students worked together with teachers, researchers from the University of Oulu, the multicultural centre Villa Victor and the international association Designing for Children’s Rights, exploring problems they saw in their everyday lives and developing innovative solutions to them.
The critical change labs were organised as part of the schools’ ICT courses and as part of a multidisciplinary learning package on tolerance. The content focused on digital wellbeing. Villa Victor staff shared their knowledge about racism and its causes, which helped the students create plans to prevent discrimination and promote inclusion. They also got to see the concepts developed by the young people and gave feedback on them.
“Working in a critical change laboratory helps to make visible the situations in which everyday democracy is or is not taking place. Democracy is not just about politics and voting. We want young people to see that it matters how they themselves act in everyday situations. They have the opportunity to influence their own well-being as well as the well-being of others," says professor Marianne Kinnula, principal investigator of the Critical ChangeLab project.
In addition to Gazulla and Kinnula, postdoctoral researcher Heidi Hartikainen and doctoral researcher Yusra Niaz from the INTERACT research unit have been involved in the project. The workshops led by researchers have been organized since autumn 2024 as part of the EU-funded Critical ChangeLab research and innovation project. The graphic design for the exhibition was done by Erja Taskinen.
“We thank the 7th grade students of Kastelli and Norssi who participated in the workshops presented in this exhibition. The images and prototype plans in the graphic materials are the result of their critical and creative work. Our heartfelt thanks also to the teachers and the organizations that participated in these critical change laboratories. Villa Victor and Designing for Children’s Rights have supported the work of young people and shown their commitment to building an inclusive and democratic society, which is what we are also aiming for in our research," Eva Durall Gazulla thanks, hoping everyone will come see the exhibition.
The exhibition is open from Tuesday 11 March to Sunday 23 March and can be visited freely at the Valve Culture House, Oulu.
More information about the Critical Change Lab research project in the article Innovative research project aims to strengthen European democracy among youth.