Welcome to the ICDF, where our ethos is rooted in scholarly research with societal impact.
The ICDF – an institution-wide initiative – offers opportunities to co-create research projects in an inter- and transdisciplinary manner, with an explicit focus on the manifold aspects related to the digital. We embrace an approach that is cognisant of the developments of digital strides by seriously considering how technological advances intersect and evolve with, as well as influence and are entangled with the social, psychological, and environmental domains. We endeavour to make our projects relevant by incorporating complexity and strive to make our projects impactful for the changing needs of our specific context and its unique challenges, thereby strengthening ‘digital well-being’ through our research projects.
Social listening is the practice of engaging with perspectives of online activities, especially on social media platforms, using a host of techniques for a broader understanding about a topic, particularly controversial issues with a heightened chance of sensationalism. We focus on online utterances around issues related to health, well-being, and education and monitor events such as elections, disease outbreaks, and general societal unrest.
The focus on heritage is aimed at rendering cultural and historical legacies more accessible through processes of digitalisation. Grappling with heritage is an interdisciplinary endeavour to encompass a multifaceted and continuous process of co-creation and sensemaking. Our focus on the ‘Limpopo Heritage Collection’ and the ‘Forgotten Highway’ projects attest to this ‘undisciplinary’ way of approaching heritage as a valuable educational and cultural asset.
Human language technology
Human Language Technology uses technology to enhance visual communication in all forms. This dynamic field explores various aspects, including discovery science for conversational modes, creating digital corpuses, gathering extensive data sets, integrating generative AI among Deaf communities, and developing machine translation for Sign Language. These topics are pivotal in our exploration of this domain, highlighting its richness and potential for continuous innovation.
The emergence of increased connectivity and generative artificial intelligence is characterised by disruptive technologies poised to revolutionise the status quo. Yet, as society becomes increasingly data-centric, it faces heightened risks of exacerbating inequalities and exploitation and could even lead to diminished well-being. This project centres on comprehending, empowering, and highlighting the advancements, uses, as well as the unforeseen ramifications of digital developments within education.