The Body as Database

DESCRIPTION

This project was based on the idea that the Digital Society is understood to be something outside us, something external. However, the human body is the oldest database where the information of how life was formed is encoded within us. This research reflects upon the findings of a study that aimed to better understand individual’s concerns, with privacy and data ownership being the main issues. The study’s participants felt either frightened or liberated by the possibility of having their DNA decoded and potential health implications revealed to them. A speculative design was proposed to reduce tensions and create new values in the way humans communicate. InMe is a portable small device, attached to the user’s clothes, that in collaboration with an online server, a smartphone app and a genome (DNA) database will use matchmaking algorithms to positively help bonding people through DNA.