Public defence in Computer Science, MSc Pia Tukkinen

Title of the thesis: Mundane, socially bounded data in everyday life. Sharing and coordination in small groups

Thesis defender: Pia Tukkinen 
Opponent: Professor Giulio Jacucci, University of Helsinki
Custos: Associate Professor Janne Lindqvist, Aalto University School of Science

Sharing everyday information within small, familiar groups 

Much of the information we produce every day is not meant for a broad online audience. We add items to a shared grocery list, send a news article to members of a hobby group, or mention to a colleague that a meeting room feels stuffy. This information circulates within small, familiar groups, and whether and how we share it is shaped by our relationships, roles, and the situation at hand. 

This dissertation examines how ubiquitous computing, meaning computing embedded in everyday environments and objects, could better support this everyday, socially bounded interaction. The work draws on six empirical studies of news sharing, public displays, shopping situations, grocery applications, and reporting on workplace comfort. 

People valued technologies that fit into existing routines and meaningful groups rather than ones built for broad visibility or for keeping users continuously engaged. Knowing who belonged to a group shaped what was shared with it. The value of a service does not lie in how much time is spent on it, but in its being available at the moment it is needed: when coordinating shopping, passing important information to the right group, or describing an everyday problem so that others can act on it. Outside those moments, the service takes up neither time nor attention. In workplaces, contributing was easier when feedback could be given without one's identity being attached to it, yet still acted upon. This gave rise to a participation paradox: an individual hoped their particular observation would be noticed, while the organization responded only once the same issue recurred across many people's reports. If feedback seems to vanish without a trace, the willingness to take part can gradually fade. 

The dissertation's main findings are the concept of mundane, socially bounded data and a new way of understanding calm technology. Mundane, socially bounded data refers to everyday information that is neither purely private nor intended for wide circulation. Many systems treat data as either individual or public, leaving this middle ground unsupported. Regarding calm technology, the dissertation argues that calmness arises not only from technology fading unobtrusively into the background, but also from its fitting the situation: the relationships, roles, and moment in which it is used. 

The findings help designers build future services that take better account of how everyday information actually moves between people. At their best, everyday technologies help small groups act together, protect contextual privacy, and make useful information available without demanding unnecessary effort or constant attention.

Keywords: human-centered design, ubiquitous computing, social computing, socially bounded data, privacy, contextual integrity, everyday practices, small-group sharing 

Thesis available for public display 7 days prior to the defence at Aalto University's public display page. 

Contact Information: 
pia.tukkinen@aalto.fi
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pia-tukkinen-b688a311/