Project title:
Exploring Chance and Choice in Digital Encounters: A Comparative Study of Algorithmic Ethics, Self, and Others in Taipei and London
This research project is funded by the Anniversary Research Fellowship Scheme at the University of Southampton. Its aim is to explore how digital encounters — viewed as events where one meets oneself and others — enable ethical action in the age of digital platforms. Here, ‘ethics’ refers to being at ease with the vulnerable aspects of oneself, encompassing different, fragmented, or even unknown versions of the self, as well as being tolerant of ‘the Others,’ those who are perceived as different from or unknown to us. The project draws on a comparative study of two peer-support platforms, Moodii and Reddit, which facilitate real-time interactions for mentally vulnerable individuals in two highly digitalized urban societies: Taipei and London. The project will employ an innovative blend of mixed methods, including a comparative strategy, online observation, interviews, and art-based participatory projects. This approach aims to discern when and how specific encounters change users’ normal perceptions and practices regarding the vulnerable self, orienting towards an ethical self. Ultimately, this project seeks to establish a cross-cultural conceptualization of ethics in relation to the self and its implications for mental health.