Through research about understanding current cultural phenomenon that was generated by today’s Internet technology and interpreting the future visions from other designers, thinkers and engineers, I came up with my own vision for the Internet of the near future and designed new experiences- physical, social, cultural- that emerges from the system. “OBJECT 2.0” suggests how the current Internet culture could be shifted into the environment where every object has virtual characteristic of the Internet, as well as it demonstrates how design approach, not engineering approach, has a significant power to shape the near future.
Reflections on methodology
To deliver the idea of a future system like “OBJECT 2.0” and propose about the possibilities, the methodologies of dramatizing movie scenarios are very effective in creating design fiction. Stories and other contexts that explain the situation already exist in cinematic scene. By applying my future system to movie scenes that connote the cultural and social implication of present days, I could design new experiences and new social interactions. In a way, “OBJECT 2.0” shows a new process and methodology to create design fiction.
Designing the future and the role of media designer
“OBJECT 2.0” demonstrates the role of media designers for the coming paradigm shift. As media designers, we all have responsibilities to design future world to be habitable and meaningful. As Julian Bleecker states Bell and Dourish are reminding us that the implications of culture are not something that happens after design. They are always part of the design. The culture happens as the design does. It is less about surfaces and detailing, and perhaps only about making culture. In this aspect, this project shows how designers can create unique and meaningful culture by designing system and scenarios for the pervasive computing environment.
Future direction
“OBJECT 2.0” opens up a lot of questions about our future Internet system, future social media, future manufacturing system and new business model. If the contents of the object’s network matter more than the original functionality of the object and other people’s review on the object, how will the meanings and values of everyday object change? I would like to develop more scenarios that will show more possibilities of the system. At the same time, I also want to keep going with exploring new interfaces and interactions that can be used in the near future system. I believe that “OBJECT 2.0” has a lot of potential to be developed deeply and can be applied to a future manufacturing system, business model and advertising strategies. It is my hope that my project will be one of the frameworks for designing the future social Internet.