A PUBLIC DIGITAL SPACE AT HOME
The basic principles of a home are shelter and a safe environment for its user. Whether it is raining, storming or sunny outside, your home is where you retreat to. Home has always played this role for humankind since the agricultural era. However, through changes in history, the home has changed as well. A home has evolved from a public place during the Archaic period to a private space during the Industrial period, when every family had their own home. Now in the 21st century, or the data age, the concept of a home has changed again.
The home is starting to play a more diverse role in our lives. Not only are we spending more time at home, but we are also finding new purposes for our spaces. Our home is not just for living and sleeping anymore. New activities enabled by technology, such as online education, video work calls, workout classes and social zoom sessions, expand our home’s functionality.
At the moment, the home is solely seen as a private place. Yet, everytime we invite guests into our homes, our spaces become a little bit more public. Nowadays, the lines between private and public are continuously blurred. Video calling, snapchat videos, instagram stories, working from home or online education - there are countless examples where the public is invited into our private spaces.
