She’s Not Alone premieres on ADM+S YouTube
Author Loren Dela Cruz
Date 6 February 2023
She’s Not Alone, a short film that illustrates the everyday stories of gender-based violence in ride-sharing and the outsourcing of trust and safety to automated systems, has premiered on the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making & Society’s (ADM+S) YouTube channel.
The film invites us to sit with real stories of gender-based violence as more than just data but as lived experiences.
In a world where automated systems, technology and digital data are increasingly present, it prompts us to ask: What kinds of safeguards do we want in a world of automated technologies? How should we manage and control them? How can we create a future where safety involves a combination of technology and human connections/community support?
Inspired by a true story, the film follows Lina, played by Michelle Keating, who endures an alarming ride-share experience that violates her right to safety. It highlights how ‘share my trip’ and ‘follow my ride’ functionalities only provide an illusion of safety, as opposed to a means of emergency intervention.
The docu-drama was produced by ADM+S in partnership with She’s A Crowd, a social enterprise working to end gender-based violence, and Monash University’s Emerging Technologies Research Lab, an interdisciplinary and internationally embedded research lab which conducts research into the social, cultural and experiential dimensions of the design, use and futures of new and emerging technologies.
Director of She’s Not Alone, Isabella Conti-Morato describes the film as an exploration of “how automated decision-making can be a vehicle to mitigate, or further exacerbate experiences of gender-based violence. We urgently need to shift these narratives, and change starts with exposure.”
The story prompts ride-share companies to establish safer and more inclusive service design and communicates the power of survivor storytelling to shape, strengthen and challenge the status quo.
“It’s an invitation to do better,” said ADM+S Research Fellow and filmmaker Jeni Lee.
“It’s an invitation to do better” – Jeni Lee
Zoe Condliffe, Founder and CEO of She’s A Crowd, hopes that “She’s Not Alone will spark curiosity and conversation about what that world would look like if we centre survivor-experiences in decision-making and automation.”
Watch She’s Not Alone on YouTube or view transcript.
Media enquiries:
Loren Dela Cruz
Communications and Engagement Manager
loren.delacruz@rmit.edu.au
