Social Design to the Rescue: Healing Our Digital Fragilities
On social media, we often feel common vibes and emotions, influenced by our ecosystem. Social design could be a solution for a better ambient web.
Tuesday Evening on Earth! Last edition before my holidays. Thank you for your loyalty. You can also read this post in French. And buy my book “Alive In Social Media”.
Our environment influences our emotions. In a 2014 study, researchers responded to a simple question: if it rains in Paris where I am, and my state of mind is affected, can my friends in San Diego consequently feel less happy? The demonstration was interesting: the way a user expresses themselves online has an inhibitory function for their friends on social networks. If they are sad and share a status reflecting this, they might solicit more empathy. If they are having an exceptional day, they might receive support and positive vibes from their network.
A Social Design for Humans
Urban planners and architects have long understood the importance of their decisions on the "well-being" of populations. In Monocle, correspondent Alexei Korolyov explains Bratislava's choice to focus its efforts on the well-being of children. With a key principle: if the city is welcoming and designed for the youngest, it will fundamentally be more virtuous for all generations.
As lived experiences are increasingly documented online, the social design of the places we live directly influences our relationships with the thousands of networks in which we leave traces, consciously or not. The huge city billboards that become backgrounds for our many selfies seem anecdotal but promote friendly content.
The same goes for artistic installations that provide the opportunity to surprise and be surprised, like the famous "but yes, you are beautiful" that appears all over Paris. Or the numerous murals in children's hospitals. Concrete can become a canvas of hope.
Socialization spaces make people want to meet “IRL” and create positive, generous stories that are integrated into everyday life. This is particularly true with chessboards available in some gardens, or even initiatives like Paris Plage. Or the revival of music kiosks that make people want to dance near the parks.
Dressing the City, the Space, to Break the Cycle of Online Violence
Conversation sanctuaries have an increasingly significant impact; they allow for appreciating exchanges away from the noise of social networks. Or even in schools to break the logic of isolation and solitude through the famous "friendship benches."
Dressing the city is a way to guide one's experience, to see more beauty in the ordinary, and thus to share content that can counteract online violence. The solution is not miraculous; however, social design can foster a stronger, more constructed social bond, contrary to digital platforms that elicit knee-jerk reactions from us.
And this is even more true as we increasingly use instant messaging and more private layers of social networks.
The real ambient web, in short, is a political issue that can heal our vulnerabilities.
Number of the Week: +400%
According to Business Of Fashion, the search for “skin barrier” has exploded by 400% on Google, at the same time as the query “emotional boundaries.” Our vulnerabilities, this amazing business.
Amazing Links
- released an interesting essay entitled “the end of our extremely online era”
In the New York Times, Madison Kircher explains why content divided into several parts is more likely to go viral
The excellent documentary series Skateboard : Horizon Verticale starts its second season on Monday, July 29 on France.Tv. Not to be missed for a French perspective on skateboarding
Have a great summer! This newsletter will return at the end of August. My book “Alive In Social Media” is now available on Amazon.
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