Energiaprofil a Facebook-on

Talán a közösségi portálok is segíthetik a környezeti problémák megoldását.

A Computer Science student at the University of York has created a new Facebook application that uses the social networking website for monitoring home energy consumption. Derek Foster developed the WattsUp application, which will also allow people to assess their carbon dioxide emissions, as part of his project for the MSc in Human-centred Interactive Technologies. The domestic sector accounts for about 30 percent of all energy consumed in the UK. The application aims to raise awareness of energy consumption in the home to both reduce usage and have a positive impact on climate change. The WattsUp application records users’ live and historical household energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, via a special energy monitor – the Wattson monitor. Derek said: “With so many people using Facebook now, it seemed like a novel approach to incorporate other elements of our lifestyle, such as our household energy consumption, into our online social profiles. “By using Facebook as the delivery platform it introduces social psychology elements such as peer-pressure and normative behaviour between friends which can introduce competitiveness to reduce energy usage.” When the user visits Watts Up, they can see their own energy usage represented numerically and graphically from within their Facebook account. Additionally, they can also check on any of their friend’s energy usage if they too use the Wattson device with Watts Up. It is envisaged that by being able to view other friend’s energy ratings, it may introduce a competitive element where users thereby compete by lowering their energy usage, thus having a positive impact on the environment. Social approval would be a key element as a user who consistently used more energy than the rest of their friends would likely be liable to provocation by their friends in the form of comments or any other persuasive facilitators the application offers. By ‘conforming’ to the norm the user’s mental model of acceptance by their friends is consolidated, particularly through reciprocal positive encouragement.

IT3 komment: A WattsUp alkalmazás lehetővé teszi, hogy a Facebook személyes profil adatok között a saját lakásunk energia fogyasztását is megjelenítsük. A kutatók azt gondolják, hogy az energiaprofil megjelenítése a közösségi oldalakon elősegíti az energiatudatos életvitel elterjedését. Az elképzelés helyessége még bizonyításra vár. Kíváncsian várjuk a kísérlet eredményét!

Forrás: www.york.ac.uk