Hacktivism Intent- Andrew W
So, where does one park, when there are no parking spots?
The University of Maine campus has a terrible lack of parking space for students on campus. Most students who bring a vehicle to campus are forced to park their vehicles on the outskirts of the campus. Students will often find themselves walking twenty minutes, only to spend another twenty following that wiping snow off of their vehicle.
This is a very important problem for the students that attend the University of Maine. Not only is it very inconsiderate and annoying for the students who pay thousands of dollars to come here, it can also be seen as a mental health concern. Students are always stressing about their car being vandalized, towed, or ticketed without their knowledge because their vehicle is on the other side of the University. Beyond that, when students are so far removed from their vehicles, it instills a sense of being bound to the University. If students felt that they could more easily access ways to leave campus, there would be reduced on campus incidences. Students would not feel as claustrophobic as they do.
I intend on using incorporating multiple hacktivism strategies into my plans. The first part of the plan would be to create fliers to spread across campus. Something simple and effective, possibly a line like “Wheres my parking spot, I’m paying for it?” Then I would create some false street signs to hand up in parking lots, along with some parking tickets, that would appear to people to be new ‘purple’ parking spots and tags. The point of this would be to confuse parking services, and also instill the idea in students that the University should not be allowed to control where we park with color coded price tags. Perhaps a helpful tool would be finding some University finance papers, and seeing where the University is putting money that could be much better spent on parking areas.
The audience would primarily be the students at the University but would also affect staff and parking enforcement professionals. The idea would be to create discussion between the two forces. Students are always talking about the injustice of the on campus parking but only ever in small groups. If they were to stand together they could create an actual change.
Cost: Signs: $300? Fliers:$0 fake parking passes:$0-50.
Time: Would largely depend on the time taken to create signs for fake lots, as well as time to recruit willing volunteers to park in these illegitimate areas.
Tools: Would need access to metal and paint recourses, as well as some way to hack into the financial data of the University.
4 thoughts on “Hacktivism Intent- Andrew W”
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Concept
-This intent is outlining a one-to-many format: Andrew, a single person, is planning on doing something that will affect many people simultaneously.
-I think that it uses a strategy of forcing people to actually think about something by greatly confusing them, as well as the upstage-the-man strategy because he will be mimicking a University organization.
-The project attempts to take on the problem of student parking on campus, or rather the lack thereof.
-I do not have a car, so I am not impacted by the parking issues that much. However I think that if the project were released it would be entertaining.
Design
-The design for the project that has been laid out is fairly straightforward and seems like the clearest method to deal with the issue he is facing.
-The project design requires participation to work at a base level, so I would say that yes, it does draw attention.
Technical
-Very little tech is used in the design, maybe a laser cutter at most. However it doesn’t need tech to function so its technology use is appropriate
-Andrew estimates the cost at around $300-350. This is expensive enough to require funding, but not infeasible. So long as everything was recycled
Audience
– The project seems to be focused on the Umaine population, as well as Parking Services.
– The project directly affects students and faculty, so it is geared to them in that respect.
– The audience would probably be irritated by the project, because it would make their already tricky task of parking that much harder.
Creativity
-I am friends with the creator, and I know that he is often irked by his parking options, so I would say that this project is driven by a particular interest.
-Again, I am friends with the author, so this has his name written all over it in the writing style and concept.
Concept
what media is the intent/project? 1-1, 1-many, many-many? explain- One to many, one person will affect many.
does the idea enlist any of the New Media Strategies? If so which & how?- By adding confusion to the authority, you are creating a small amount of chaos, enough to have an impact on parking services.
what major issue(s) does the project engage?- The lack of parking on campus
does the concept interest you?- YEP.
Design
is the design clear and appropriate?- Yes it is, although umpd will get mad
does the design invite attention and/or participation?- Yes, a small team of parking inthusiasts would be very interested.
Technical
what tech is used? is it appropriate?- A metal printer for signs? Lots of paper for the tickets too.
what is the cost? is it affordable for most people? the planet? is it sustainable?- $300-350, a group could afford it. Count me in.
Audience
who is the intended audience?- COMMUTERS
how is the project geared to the audience?- It affects anyone with a car, students or faculty members.
would the project appeal to or challenge the audience? how/why?- maybe both, I could see how it would be challenging for people with decent parking spots, but it would appeal to commuters like myself.
Creativity
does the idea stem from some personal passion of the creator?- Parking sucks here, so I can understand
can you detect the mark of a particular sensibility?- Anyone who drives can relate.
Concept
1. What media is the intent/project? 1-1, 1-many, many-many? explain
This seems to be a one to many project. The creator of the fake parking passes would be preaching to the entirety of UMaine students.
2. Does the idea enlist any of the New Media Strategies? If so which & how?
Direct Action – this addresses the issue of lack of parking in a informative yet direct way.
3. What major issue(s) does the project engage?
This project engages the major issue that there are not enough parking spots available on campus.
4. Does the concept interest you?
Oh yeah. This is definitely an issue that plagues almost all students.
Design
1. Is the design clear and appropriate?
The design is alright on paper, but I would love some visual mock-ups of fake parking passes and the like. There’s also a lack of goal here. I can only assume that the project exists simply to raise awareness, but it’s never explicitly stated.
2. Does the design invite attention and/or participation?
This is an attention grabber. Students and faculty are going to notice something hanging off their car, and staff that checks for parking permits will have to sort though a mess of fake permits.
Technical
1. What tech is used? is it appropriate?
No technology is used other than the printer required to produce the fliers and passes.
2. What is the cost? is it affordable for most people? the planet? is it sustainable?
The cost is dependent on the amount of fliers that must be printed out before the project has a reasonable impact. Hard to tell…
Audience
1. Who is the intended audience?
UMaine students and faculty who agree that there’s insufficient parking are the intended audience.
2. How is the project geared to the audience?
The project is geared to the audience because of lot of people are already passionate about this issue. Seeing any form of fighting back or retaliation would likely be received well.
3. Would the project appeal to or challenge the audience? how/why?
It would certainly appeal to the audience for the above reason, but I feel it would also challenge them to fight back against the UMaine system with other peaceful protests like this one.
Creativity
1. Does the idea stem from some personal passion of the creator?
Most likely. Andrew probably got pissed about parking like everyone else and said hell, I’ll hack it.
2. Can you detect the mark of a particular sensibility?
I can detect that he’s particularly livid…
Hmm. Parking is a thorny issue at UMaine. And the solution depends on whether UMaine is a commuting school or a campus-based school. With many apartments nearby, many students live off campus and then drive, often less than a mile–to school clogging the parking lots. I have the sense this is a larger transportation issue. Wouldn’t the parking issue be resolved in there were shuttle busses that ran in am and pm –like Sugarloaf busses run to all the condos–to eliminate some of this redundant parking? I also wonder if carpooling would help? Many students drive alone, and so the parking lots are really full.
I’m not sure how a NMD strategy could solve parking problems, but it seems to be a community issue with too many commuting student drivers. When I was in college I didn’t know anyone with a car. Everyone walked and used public transportation. However the transportation system was better–so maybe that would help. Can NMD influence that?
Or could it address parking by helping students carpool like a student Uber network?
Get v=creative!