Members of the public from Swindon and Wiltshire are being asked to post their own photos of everyday life to help challenge negative stereotypes of ageing and biased social media algorithms, as part of the town’s online Festival of Tomorrow.
The initiative marks the launch of an on-going research project between the Centre for Digital Citizens, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Swindon’s Festival of Tomorrow. The project aims to gather data to help explore the concept of an ‘Ageless Citizen’ and the relationship between technology and bias/stereotypes around age.
Search engines and stock photo libraries often use unrealistically positive or negative depictions of people in later life. These images help to spread and perpetuate harmful stereotypes of ageing and older age. The reality is that digital technologies often replicate and magnify prejudices and biases that already exist within society as a whole. This problem is called ‘algorithmic bias’.
The project is the brain-child of a group of researchers from the Centre for Digital Citizens based at Newcastle University and Northumbria University.
Dan Lambton-Howard, researcher at Open Lab, Newcastle University said “We want to challenge algorithmic biases to create a more diverse and authentic representation of ageing and later life. We can fight back against the algorithms! We want people from Swindon and Wiltshire to help us fight back against search-engine bias and stereotypes of ageing by creating and sharing more realistic images of growing up and growing older on social media!”
Rod Hebden, Director of the Festival of Tomorrow said, “No-one likes being misrepresented, so we want as many people as possible to take part in the project, by sharing a photo of growing up or growing older that fits one of the following titles:
· This is my everyday…
· Don’t underestimate me…
· A shared passion…
Send us your photos by posting them on social media with #FestivalOfTomorrow. To help your image be understood by search engines, we also want you to tag your image with three words that best describe it.”
Visitors to the free online Festival of Tomorrow on the 19th and 20th February will be able find out more about the project, as well as enjoying a varied programme of talks and shows, a virtual planetarium and exploring an amazing range of exhibitors showcase the latest science and research – from the future of space travel to the UK’s leading role in the fight against coronavirus.
Register for your free place now at www.scienceswindon.com/festival-of-tomorrow
The Festival of Tomorrow is a collaboration between STEAM – museum of the Great Western Railway, and Swindon-based consultancy, New Elements, and is made possible by the support of principal partner, UK Research and Innovation, and Major Partners Business West and Bravedog.
