Grumpy Old Debate

Though we all have had the occasion to shout at the TV or radio disagreeing with the views being propounded, there is a cultural warmth towards the stereotype of the cantankerous, grumpy old men and women for whom disagreeing with the latest opinion on the radio becomes a regular pastime.

The objective of this project is to understand how older people in particular might engage with online resources associated with broadcast programmes. In this EPSRC-funded project we combine three strong themes:

(i) fundamental and enabling research on understanding human debate  and the engineering of robust systems based upon the understanding provided by the ARG:dundee Group;

(ii) user-driven research on human-centered computing built on a track record of industrial and latterly academic work in accessibility for older users from the SiDE Group in Dundee (the project has the potential of high profile impact in addressing social exclusion in specific groups of older adults);

(iii) the support of the BBC on both their R&D and programme-making sides is helping with design and deployment; as an example of  ‘gold standard’  argumentation we have taken the BBC Radio 4 programme The Moral Maze and we plan to support audiences of both radio and TV productions.

Specifically, we are interested in exploring how existing tools for online argument and debate developed might be extended to support and encourage engagement from older listeners.

For more information please email:  Rolando Medellin rmedellin@computing.dundee.ac.uk or Chris Reed chris@computing.dundee.ac.uk