Tangled Webs of Influence

Fighting political apathy is no small feat, so why should an interaction designer even try? Tony Chu deals with this and deeper questions by framing political apathy as a kind of learned helplessness in this thesis. He explores how design can bring clarity to information, and carve out a path for action. The above data-visualization maps the flow of campaign finance contributions from various interest groups to members of Congress. It is part of a larger story being told about how a dysfunctional campaign finance system is corrupting the American Republic.