The user in flux: bringing HCI and digital arts together to interrogate shifting roles in interactive media

Abstract

With the advent of interactive digital media, people are no longer simply 'users'. They actively shift between various roles: author, collaborator, and even performer. We coin the term "user in flux" to problematize static definitions of "the user" and highlight how people's roles and practices switch and evolve when engaged in such interactions. Drawing from participatory practices and seeking inspiration from interactive artists, this workshop explores the "user in flux" with an aim to establish directions and approaches that can revitalize the HCI community's understanding of the user and inform the design of technologies used for interacting with digital media, and promote a new research agenda.