Happy to Chat
As our cities continue to grow and change so does the way we move around them.
Earlier this year Uber launched its ‘quiet mode’ feature in the U.S.
Passengers can now select from three options, quiet preferred, no preference, or happy to chat.
While currently restricted to premium memberships the move highlights the issue of the ever increasing influence technology has over how we connect with each other in our modern world.
Through edited interviews with three Australian Uber drivers about their reactions to the new feature, interspersed with excerpts from the 1928 silent comedy ‘Speedy’ which highlights the car itself as the new technology of its day, Happy to Chat asks the audience to reflect on how we move around and relate to each other in our rapidly changing cities. In particular it asks us to think about how we treat those who are providing us a service when ratings are at stake, reminding us that sometimes the most important conversations we can have in our modern times are those with strangers whose experience, opinions and advice may be different from our own.
Earlier this year Uber launched its ‘quiet mode’ feature in the U.S.
Passengers can now select from three options, quiet preferred, no preference, or happy to chat.
While currently restricted to premium memberships the move highlights the issue of the ever increasing influence technology has over how we connect with each other in our modern world.
Through edited interviews with three Australian Uber drivers about their reactions to the new feature, interspersed with excerpts from the 1928 silent comedy ‘Speedy’ which highlights the car itself as the new technology of its day, Happy to Chat asks the audience to reflect on how we move around and relate to each other in our rapidly changing cities. In particular it asks us to think about how we treat those who are providing us a service when ratings are at stake, reminding us that sometimes the most important conversations we can have in our modern times are those with strangers whose experience, opinions and advice may be different from our own.