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ISSN number: 1746-4757

September 2004: The Politics of Web Design

Preview

The enormous explosion of interest in the Internet since the mid-1990s has been reflected in the political and sociological literature devoted to it. But a great deal of this concentrates on interactive spaces such as Usenet, MUDs and chat rooms. Comparatively little time is spent on the sub-system of the Internet that people (with the possible exception of e-mail) use the most: the World Wide Web.

In this issue of Tangentium we will attempt to uncover some of the hidden motivations which influence and control web design. Designing for the WWW involves a range of skills, including graphic design, information management, an appreciation of browser and other technologies, designing for accessibility and so on. But as the WWW becomes a more commercialised space, are these skills becoming subordinate to profit-oriented techniques such as cognitive manipulation (influence and control over what people think and perceive), the ability to attract advertising revenue, and so on? What is, or should be, the role for "amateur" web designers? Is the "inclusive" nature of the WWW being maintained?

We intend to address these issues by discussing some or all of the following topics:

• how is cognitive manipulation practiced by web designers? What strategies exist for getting people to think and act in certain ways? Should they be combatted, and if so how?
• how do organisations (businesses, academic departments and so on) use the WWW and why? How do these influential stakeholders thereby influence the web design industry as a whole?
• what assumptions are programmed into web browsers and design tools such as Dreamweaver or Front Page? What effects do complex new technologies such as Flash have on peoples' assumptions about the WWW?
• should people be taught web design, in what ways and under what circumstances? How can teachers of web design avoid accusations they are contributing to "data smog"?

As ever we welcome contributions and suggestions for this upcoming issue. The deadline for contributions is August 27th 2004.

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