Matt Artz will be speaking at Why the World Needs Anthropologists (WWNA) 2021, an international conference that examines the various roles anthropology can play in the modern world. Artz will be focusing on how anthropological research can directly aid creators in an increasingly difficult market.
With this announcement, Artz hopes to bring more attention to what design anthropology has to offer the business world and how it can address issues that impact the estimated 50 million people that make up the creator economy.
In his talk, he’ll speak about how capital and algorithmic bias factor into recommendation systems and why that privileges some creators over others. He will also speak about how machine learning approaches can amplify these existing patterns of inequality and make the problems worse.
The talk is based on his art market research as the Head of Product & Experience for Artmatcher, a mobile app that aims to address access and inclusion issues in the art market. Artz will discuss how the research led to the co-creation of the business model, brand, and user experience.
He will be discussing how algorithms are contributing to inequality in the creator economy and how design anthropology can help address the problem.
About Why the World Needs Anthropologists
Attendants of Why the World Needs Anthropologists can expect to see several other prominent anthropologists who aim to discuss the different applications of anthropology. The event’s primary goals are to encourage cooperation and communication between researchers and develop practical, effective solutions to global social and cultural issues. Discussion points will include issues like feminism, equal housing, protests, social movements, social justice, climate change, and other vital topics anthropologists research across the world.
WWNA Schedule
Day 1: “Knowing” The first day is dedicated to knowing. Topic-related talks are presented by the Speakers and followed by the Panel discussion. The participants can mingle in the Hotspot fair and meet the event partners and sponsors presenting their projects, services, or study programs. During Future Movements, selected participants will present their own case studies.
Day 2: “Making” The second day turns out to be more interactive. Starting with Perspectives, a Pecha-Kucha style presentation followed by a Q&A, the participants are warmed up for community-driven Workshops. The day concludes with the Evening session, a plenary meeting that includes a brand new initiative Apply Award Ceremony.
Day 3: “Acting” What’s coming next? Acting on new initiatives, collaborations, and change-making ideas. The third day is an opportunity to prepare the stage for future steps. The annual Applied Anthropology Network meeting and other network-related activities take place. In the meantime, the Assembly offers a communal platform for non-anthro colleagues. Finally, WWNA relocates into urban public spaces with site-specific activities.
