2024-09-21 –, LAB 3
What can messaging interoperability learn from academic research on ecosystems of messaging apps? In this talk, I present my research on how people increasingly use not just one, but multiple parallel apps for messaging. This research shows evidence of how messaging-app walled gardens harm freedom of choice and, at the same time, enable personal, discreet strategies for managing privacy across diverse social circles. I will discuss how this tension can inspire new ideas for designing cross-app messaging functionality. Additionally, I will explore its relevance for designing user-friendly interoperable messaging and its potential impact on the adoption of interoperability on mainstream platforms as mandated by the EU’s Digital Markets Act.
Carla Griggio (https://carlagriggio.com/) is a tenure-track assistant professor at Aalborg University’s Department of Computer Science, where she teaches and conducts research on Human-Computer Interaction. Her research has been published in top international conferences and explores the intricate ways messaging platform designs influence personal communications and relationships.
In her talk, Carla will unveil an interesting interplay between the restrictive nature of walled gardens and their unexpected role in privacy management across social circles. Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of the privacy vs. app choice dilemma, equipped with data-driven insights and innovative concepts that can:
- Inspire developers to think of novel ideas aligned with Matrix’s vision of interoperable messaging.
- Inform policymakers about user behavior patterns that may influence the mainstream adoption of messaging interoperability.
Carla is a tenure-track assistant professor at the Department of Computer Science at Aalborg University in Copenhagen, where she researches and teaches Human-Computer Interaction. Her main research studies how communication technologies, especially messaging apps, affect interpersonal relationships. She conducts empirical studies to understand how people adapt software to fit their communication needs and builds prototypes that explore ways of providing them with richer control over their expression and relationship maintenance. She currently studies interoperability between messaging apps, exploring alternative software models to “apps” for online communication.