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Course
Social Networks of Tomorrow: Building the Decentralized Web
How can we imagine new forms of decentralized social networks aimed at local communities?

Program
The Innovation Lab is a postgraduate innovation learning program.
Each class is interdisciplinary and brings together a variety of profiles from design, technology, social sciences, and entrepreneurship. Surrounded by a network of professionals and recognized experts in their fields, the 15 students of the "Social Networks of Tomorrow" Lab will work together on the theme of WEB 3 and the future of social networks, to explore concrete issues such as
- How to build social networks that would protect our relationships and privacy?
- How to ensure the legitimacy of information disseminated through social networks?
- What new insights can experimenting with decentralized technologies introduce towards bespoke use cases, manageable scale, and autonomous organizing of communities?

Workshop for the class of 2022
From April 17
to July 28 2023
Language of training : English
Hybrid program: 11 weeks distance learning, 4 weeks at La Plateforme, Marseille
Tuition: free of charge, transportation and accommodation covered for the weeks of training in Marseille
Application deadline: Monday, March 13, 2023
Selection: application and interview
April 17-23: program launch sprint (Marseille)
April 24-May 14: online training (Monday to Thursday)
May 15-21: intensive week in Marseille
May 22-June 24: online training (Monday through Thursday)
June 26-July 2: intensive week in Marseille
July 03-16: online training (Monday to Thursday)
July 17-28: final sprint (Marseille)
Participants profiles
Young graduates in the process of professional integration, professionals in reconversion, researchers, freelancers...
We select complementary profiles to form interdisciplinary teams.
European residents with experience corresponding to the profiles sought are invited to apply.
Takeaways
Concrete objectives:
- Design in team a POC prototype of a decentralized social network
- Explore methods and technologies for prototyping ideas:
- observation and fieldwork
- design fiction
- UX research and UX/UI design
- acculturation and Web3 development
- Identify local communities, understand how they use social networks to find relevant ideas
Program éléments
- Master a design process, from observation, to illustrated hypothesis, to prototype
- To become more competent on the theme of Web3 and the distributed web, autonomous organizations (DAO)
- Improve skills according to profile (UX design, blockchain development, observation tools) thanks to learning tracks (see below in this page)
- Promote a systemic analysis of problems
- Explore collaborative and interdisciplinary work methods
Team and stakeholders
The program includes high-level international speakers, who will be announced in the coming weeks.
Training program
Phase #1 - Exploration and observation
Collaboration, research, and inspiration // Decentralized social network: what are we talking about?
- Sharing of skills between learners
- Team building
- Exploration and analysis of the complexity of today's digi-social interactions
- Meeting communities, observing their use of conventional social networks
- Identification of communities of interest for projects
- Discussions around the notions of Web3 and the decentralized web.
Phase #2 - Vision of the near future
Creative exploration of the future uses of social networks // Present and Future close to social networks
- Exploration of future relatives for social networks
- Creation of films, speculative narratives and prototypes.
- Presentation of a tangible vision of the near future of a social network to communities, in order to explore use cases as well as to anticipate potential unexpected effects.
Phase #3 - Prototype
Concretize the concepts / model (methodological toolbox for the mastery of use)
- Back to the present to design a proof of concept (POC) prototype of a social network.
- Projects will take the form of navigable user interfaces, accompanied by solid research documentation.
- The groups will make informed functional decisions about the latest decentralized technologies (blockchain, tokens, DAO, etc.).
In parallel - Upgrade tracks around the theme
The 3 learning tracks that take place throughout the program will aim to build the skills and knowledge necessary to create a quality social network prototype. Each student will be required to take at least one track, but may take multiple tracks:
- Observation Track
Optimized for social science profiles and social entrepreneurs, this track will introduce design-based research methods to gather insights on communities and have them feed into the project. - Track UX/UI
Aimed at designers and artists, this track will cover the history and politics of user experience and interface design in social networks, and will teach some technical UI courses (using Penpot) . - Development Track
This track will engage theoretically and practically with the various notions around Web3, examine the development frameworks for dApps as well as the technical and ideological models that weave the decentralized web.
They testify
Participants' projects
A selection of emblematic projects carried out over the years.
See also
Our partners
Project Liberty aims to build a new foundation for the digital society, where citizens will once again have control over their data, where ethical principles will be an integral part of the technologies, with economic opportunities for both Internet users and developers.
Some of the projects created during the training will be selected by Project Liberty to be presented at Unfinished Live in New York City in September 2023.