.COM
( Corporate Othering Mediated )
We seem to have an inherent tendency, to loyally support fabricated constructs.
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Religion, football teams, even political parties. Whether it's labour, conservative, Manchester United, or Christianity, these groups only exist if we believe they exist, they're not physical entities, just as the economy also is not substantial but it's power exists to the extent that people believe in it.
The same thing is happening with brands. At loss of ones sense of self the brand become part of our perception of identity.
With more data logged about us than ever before algorithms are getting to the stage when "they know us better than we know ourselves" hence it becomes more and more difficult to make your own choices.
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What happens when there’s cult followings for tech companies who’s products influence our decisions, information, behaviour and beliefs?
The year is 2100 and in the city of London, the benchmark for productivity gains has risen year on year, reaching its peak (77% efficiency) in 2079. This was, in part, due to "green" energy and in part due to the optimisation of human decision making. In the past people used to waste most of their time trying to make their mind up. They’d miss transport links and miss opportunities because they had too many variables to consider, including subjective variables. Humans were never meant to make such complex decisions, there are too many messy metrics to account for. AI is designed to cross reference multiple desires simultaneously, plus everything is ‘smart’ now so you don't have to wear those ugly, bulky smart devices like the old days.
In London we’re now on the other side of that curve and honestly, I can’t fathom why we cared about productivity so much. The city is flooding and those “gains” are just covering the cost of the damages. Relocating people is the toughest challenge in my eyes, because at the heart of these murmurs of chaos, everything is becoming platformist. And, everyone who isn’t directly affected by this, is unconsciously being “diverted” away from any unpleasantry that may “interrupt their journey”. If it wasn’t for AI being able to direct people away from conflict and to the appropriate shelters the city would completely destabilise. And yet, simultaneously if AI wasn’t helping us avoid trouble, maybe we would do something to address it.
I don’t want to be anti apple but I know first hand how bad Applists can be, they think they’re so much better than Googlists and some of them make me very scared to be a Googlist. I’ve heard so many accounts of Googlists not being allowed in certain places, getting abused and threatened, and there’s a very obvious lack of compatibility that isn’t just in private business’s but in public services too. The other day, in West London, I couldn’t even cross the road because the traffic modulator wasn’t recognising me. My Flatmate Aaron is an Applist and when he turned up it worked fine. He’s a legend, he’s my proof that not all Applists are bad. I thought it would be way more difficult to live with him because I’ve always been told how different Applists are but after living with him I think I understand more about why he is the way he is. We’re actually mates.
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It's quite funny actually, he laughs at me because I 3D-print my avocado's for breakfast every morning, when he literally has the same pill every day. Obviously it's way easier to have a pill: It's a lot faster, it gets rid of the burden of choice, you can have it on the go and it has everything you need. But I couldn't do it! I like the process and the idea of having some choice, even though, I normally have the same thing for breakfast.
Narrative
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Nutrients and calories are monitored and specific food is advised depending on your health, amount of exerciser, season, and body size
Capsules provide all the necessary nutrients and calories, makes for a more efficient, streamlined meal process that is easy and guaranteed to provide everything you need.
Ww examined Apple and Google's company policy's within the office, and their corporate identity outside, to decipher what it would mean to be an 'Applist' or 'Googlist'. before going on to embody one of the companies. Critically the differences in culture and behaviour.
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The history of people dividing in this tribal way would ensue violence and aggression between the two groups. So we examined how the two characters would respond to living in close proximity.
APPLE INFO SCREEN
First person augmented view created by an implant:
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Sleek, simple, easy, private, unobtrusive, and minimalist. This method for receiving information from Siri aligns with Applist methodology and the room aesthetic follows that mantra; minimal and preset design for ease of use and functionality.
Google info screen
Third person view speaks aloud to communicate and displays information using projection: Information becomes undisclosed, open & shared. Conversation creates a feeling of a relationship & shared experience.
The room aesthetic is focused on customisation with photo's of friends but this also enables clutter. Plants and books prime a sustainable studios lifestyle.
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After two weeks of life determined by corporate Values and beliefs. Simultaneously carrying out social experiments into how emerging technology would influence behaviour, we questioned the possibilities for how our environments would also change. Firstly due to global warming but more notably due to technology.
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Wearable technology, computer vision, AR etc. would make instantly recognisable whether a person was Apple or Google, this could make life for the minority increasingly difficult as bars, restaurants and other social spots become hot spots for either one or the other tribe, (the more Applists that go to a pub, the more an algorithm will recommend it for apple and not google) creating more discrimination and more polarised views.
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Other issues we found were personality miss matches, in this case the preferences and advice provided by ones chosen platform may not fit the ideals of an individual. This became apparent as Aaron who embodied the apple persona, found himself feeling empty and sad as he struggled to distinguish himself as he lost track of his persona and felt a lack of purpose as he revealed himself of the burden of decision making.
We followed this up with a character profiling test that we took to the streets of London. We found that most people identifies more with the Apple persona making Googlists the minority even though many Google personalities were using Apple products.
These were the resulting problem area's we tried to design for with props products that this reality might necessitate.
As a result we made made a series of films, that described what life in this potential future may be like. This speculative reality should bare consideration for how we use our technology today, and provide food for thought, warning against blind trust in fabricated constructs.
Mental health
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Anxiety
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IDPR
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Paranoia
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Depression
Platform restrictions
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software discrimination
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accessibility
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city systems
Values & Beliefs​
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Contradicting visions
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Contradicting ethics
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Hate crime
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Segregation
Smart Fabric
Weather and Data protection
Being the minority can cause difficulties in public as some places may not be accessible and some people may be hostile. These coats shelter you from increasingly extreme weather and mask your data from other devices.