On February 13th, our fourth MakeHealth open evening took place. At these evenings we focus on improving individual healthcare projects. Each time we invite makers, designers, engineers, healthcare professionals and everyone interested to brainstorm on how to improve open source health care solutions. For our latest session, we invited social innovation agency LATRA to discuss how we can improve digital rights for citizens. During the discussion we tried to brainstorm about digital rights, using the principle of universal healthcare. Universal healthcare is a system that guarantees access to healthcare for its citizens. How can we convert this principle when looking at digital rights?
The session started with an explanation by LATRA about the research done on digital rights and the impact of the internet on our real-life persona. Then we discussed a respond strategy for when the internet becomes 'unhealthy' for its users. Our focus was to look at this at a personal level. We looked at treatment versus prevention, commonly used in healthcare, in order to convert this principle to digital rights. Most solutions coming from this discussion were focused on prevention. Vaccination for the user was a nice metaphor that came forth. Prevent the user from making bad decisions by warning them for the possible implications of their browsing activities.
We finished the session by putting ourselves into the role of a salesperson trying to sell an insurance for the internet. How would they convince people to buy one? And we put ourselves in the role of a politician convincing its voters to change policy towards promoting digital rights. It was nice to see the crowd brainstorm on how to make the internet a more healthy place. One of the outcomes was to create package deals for the internet, like in health insurance. This would be a way to keep browsing healthy for the user. Another solution was to give people more self-access to their browsing history like this was a service. This way a person could undertake action when a third party inflicted with their digital rights. We also concluded that the cost of the insurance should be the same for everyone and that the state should provide insurance for the poor.
It was very refreshing to connect digital rights to MakeHealth and to see the crowd engage in how to make the internet a more healthy place. As this is a very complex discussion, we hope there will be much more to come.
About LATRA
LATRA is a socially-innovative creative agency, working at the frontlines of global humanitarian, environmental and societal challenges. Based in Greece, LATRA set up an innovation lab at Kara Tepe refugee camp on Lesbos, co-creating alongside the refugee community and making technology-driven creative projects that respond directly to current and urgent field needs.
About MakeHealth
MakeHealth brings together those in need of healthcare solutions with designers, makers, and professionals in healthcare. We include these healthcare professionals, informal caregivers and people in need of care solutions throughout the design process. Designers provide access to their knowledge and skills during the design stage, while makers help to realise open-source solutions. Together, these experts go through the design and production process to produce personalised healthcare tools, solutions, aids or adjustments in care services that actually meet the needs of the intended recipients. This way, MakeHealth helps people work together to improve the care and quality of life of users.
