The Pranava Institute was at the INCLUDE+Art residency program and annual event in Leeds, UK!
Our project, "Exploring Digital Joys", focused on understanding the diverse ways young people in India experience joy online. The residency hosted INCLUDE+Art fellows from across the world, including Titiksha Vashist, our Co-Founder, and Udisha Madan, artist and designer we collaborated with for this project.
Our project, titled ‘Exploring Digital Joys’ by approaching the idea of digital equity through the principle of “diversity”, sought to understand how young people in India experience joy online. By leveraging design as a powerful tool, we conducted a virtual participatory workshop where 15 enthusiastic young participants with diverse backgrounds shared their vibrant perspectives on various ‘digital playgrounds’ and their unique ways of exploring joy online.
Here are some key insights that emerged from the workshop-
Young individuals often discover and ‘feel a part of’ digital communities that share their sense of purpose, experience, and/ or identity.
Young people use their agency to explore several digital platforms and derive joy by using them for specific purposes.
Persuasive design tactics used by digital platforms to keep users engaged are easily spotted and circumvented by many young individuals.
City of Digital Joys:
The insights and perspectives gained from the workshop inspired us to produce the “City of Digital Joys” artwork, a vibrant co-created design output that captures the digital joys experienced by young people in India. It represents the diverse ways young people in India seek joy and connection online.
The INCLUDE+Art residency and annual event fostered a rich collaborative environment. We had the pleasure of engaging with other talented fellows, who shared valuable perspectives on "digital spaces" in the context of community, togetherness, and well-being during a workshop focused on our project. Udisha Madan also created a live sketch note capturing the essence of a panel discussion featuring inspiring and entrepreneurial women.
Explore other projects and iterations here: https://includeplus.org/research-hub/in-art-iterations/