Can care be built into capitalism? (SBLTN Lab Notes 032)
Lite mode for access, bugs as food, and ‘humanist blandcore’ is out
IN THE MARGINS
In the weird mix between sales language and community building, I’ve been seeing the phrase "loyal community". I think that’s so… odd, for lack of a better word. I don't want people loyal to me. Be loyal to your values, not a product or service. If someone’s values no longer align with what I talk about (and I can’t convince them otherwise), I want that person to leave. That self-selection or self-curating is like when people unsubscribe to a newsletter - a good type of cleansing. And is community actually about loyalty? Or is it about mutual support? Maybe I have a problem with blind loyalty and not loyalty itself... 🤔 /rambling
ACCESSIBILITY
Lite mode for access
Having the privilege of living in a developed* Global North country means I sometimes forget to step outside of my smartphone, high-speed internet bubble to remember that not everyone is chasing the next iPhone or has 10G speeds in the palms of their hands.
Accessibility can also mean considering someone’s internet speed, data limitations, device model, etc. How someone interacts with websites and social media platforms can change drastically if they are on an older phone or using unstable wifi, especially if longer usage times are costing them money.
I saw this case study about the research, design, and development of Instagram Lite. Geared toward people in “emerging markets” (e.g. India, Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America), the hypothesis was that by creating a lightweight, fast and reliable app, they could make Instagram more accessible to a new set of people whose device constraints might have prevented them from enjoying Instagram in the past.
I still think Meta is a trash ass company and this could’ve been applied to something more meaningful than Instagram. So this made me wonder if similar approaches and considerations are applied to things like websites for refugees and immigrants, victims of domestic violence, or elderly users. Often, these people need a no nonsense way to quickly get crucial information or have a lower digital literacy.
*As I shift away from calling a country “Third World” or even under-developed/developing, I am sorting my way through more appropriate language that acknowledges HOW that country’s economic and technological status came to be. Usually it’s because they are exploited by another country that has more economic power and means.
❓ QUESTION: Do you have any wording suggestions?
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
Bugs as food
Whether it’s due to the effects of the climate crisis or it’s a historical cultural norm, bugs as food seems to be a hot topic. I’ve seen discussion from how we can use it to support a growing global population to how ethnocentricity shames others for this food preference.
Animator Tim Skiles recently shared with me his work on “Pests to Protein”, which explores insects as an edible food source. As someone with a multi-cultural background and understanding the whole “don’t yuck my yum” thing, I was excited to just scratch the surface of this discussion and looking forward to learning more!
ART & DESIGN
Humanist Blandcore
As a designer, I like to keep an eye on trends. I realized that I have been seeing a bit less and less of the amorphous, generic, multi-colored people that at one time was on every big tech startup’s main page or UI/UX mockup.
Wondering if it had a name or if the purple skin tones were a way to ditch accountability for inclusion, I started poking around. Apparently Corporate Memphis, as it’s called, is on its way out. The homogenized, bland style with vague messaging has reached peak saturation and not even sprinkling ‘diversity’ on it could save it.
The figures are designed to be “ethnically non-specific.” But there’s a world of difference between “representing diversity” and actually being diverse. No one is underrepresented, erased, or tokenized by a blue person...but no one is represented, uplifted, or made to feel seen by them either.
Learn more about how this style went from whimsical to whack
Signing off from the Starship SBLTN,
Laneen (Pronouns: she/they)
HEARD IN THE HALLWAYS
I love when care is built into the things that we do and the places we are, especially workplaces since capitalism is basically draining us of humanity.
🎧 Listening: "Pretty Brown Skin" by Eugene Kiing
🖊️ Word of the Day: Hoary - Old and trite. So familiar as to be dull.