Riding the Bus in Los Angeles: Creating Cultural Micro-Exposures via Technology

The HCI community has largely failed to serve the millions of people in rural communities in the developed world. In part, I believe this is because our plural values do not match the more traditional, conservative values often found in rural communities. However, these rural communities, and in particular the marginalized populations within them, could greatly benefit from our work. I believe that one way to set the stage for deeper engagement with rural communities is by creating cultural micro-exposures—small brushes with the everyday realities of a culture or lived experience that is different from one’s own—using technology.