The Stoop

Abstract

Inspired by previous research examining the challenges and benefits of Black Twitter (a community gathered on a platform used by Black people but not created by or for them), this design fiction presents a fictional study of a successful yet speculative social media platform named The Stoop. We envision this digital space as one that a Black woman created and a predominantly Black team designed and developed. Imagining what future online communities of marginalized people could be based on current struggles and shortcomings provides the inspiration for this design fiction. Proactively addressing content moderation, harassment, content controls, and the need for reducing appropriation while centering on the lived experiences and preferences of Black people allows this design fiction to joyfully speculate on what it can look like to get it right as a way of thinking through best practices for current technology design.