- Structural features interact with values in 1) Hard steps harder 2) Generating norms expectations, goals and fears
- Class Overview
- Debrief homework — questions?
🖥 Naming and tracing non-values
Example: Structural features which generate norms
Social Space: Criminal Records, Forum Thread
SF Consequences: Durability - Permanent
Norm Generated: Self Censorship
Social Space: A community center dinner party
SF Contributions: Pretext - Unclear
Norm Generated: Defaulting to a safe conversation, Small talk
Social Space: Ted/ Ted X Stage
Audience: Size - Big
Norm Generated: Polished work
Example: Political debate on Facebook
- Overriding Expectations
- Overriding Goals and Ideologies:
I need to come off as smart and informed (and think of myself as such)
I need to have a sense of orientation and understand how the world works
Ideology. Many, with a tendency to defend or support others in your own "tribe"
Goal. Running up points on the like button, feeling liked by others and liking myself in a medium where more controversial posts get more likes — this setup easily spins into hyperbole, ad hominem attacks and other unproductive forms of conversation
Goal or ideology. It seems incredibly important to win this tiny thread resulting in Salted-earth strategy, mic drop contribution, so I can leave this thread alone
Do those overriding norms evolve because of some structural features?
Expectations
- I need to come off as a smart/informed person (and think of myself as such)
- I need to have a sense of orientation/understand how the world works
SF:
!Status - Celebrity,
!Time Together - None
Depth - Mixed
Organisation - in my friend list
Ideologies
- Many, with a tendency to defend or support others in your own "tribe"
SF:
Connectivity - In pairs
!Gestures - like, love, haha, wow, sad, angry — follow, don't show, block
!Stakes - low,
Status - Celebrity,
Time Together - None,
Depth - Mixed,
Goals
- Goal of running up points on the like button, feeling liked by others / liking myself — this setup easily spins into hyperbole, ad hominem attacks and other unproductive forms of conversation
SF:
!Timing - Off the cuff,
!Organization - Shared topic - original post?? Is it even shared? Conversation drift / Lack of Shared Goal,
Gestures - like, love, haha, wow, sad, angry — follow, don't show, block
😱 A meaningless time you would like to redesign
💩 Meaningless Time (one that felt empty, pointless, shitty):
🌳 Personal Value that was suppressed (way you couldn't be/approach things/treat people):
...treat people with ...act ...approach things ...keep things
Let's clarify your value to make sure that it isn't polluted with norms, goals, fears, etc. Note that your value might already be on spot, in which case you don't need to answer the questions below.
- Would it still be worth doing independent of the outcome? If so, continue to the next bullet point. If not, it's a goal or fear! Take notes below.
- Would still be worth doing if no one knew you did it? If so, continue to the next question. If not, it's a social norm. Take notes below.
- Do you believe you could still be a good person even if you failed to be this way? If so, continue to the next question. If not, it's an internalized social norm. Take notes below.
- Would it still be worth being this way if no one else ever joined in? If so, (after all the questions above) it's probably a value! If not, it’s an ideological commitment. Take notes below.
"How would I want to approach things/treat people/etc. if I couldn't affect the outcome?"
"How would I want to approach things/treat people/etc. if no one noticed?"
"How would I want to approach things/treat people/etc. if there were no rules?"
"How would I want to approach things/treat people/etc. if I couldn't influence anyone?
Write your clarified 🌳 Personal Value in the box below using one of the following pre-fixes.
approaching things ___, treating people ___, acting ___, keeping things ___, living life ____
💍🛃 Expectations that suppressed the value (following social norms / promoting ideologies):
📈 Goals/Fears that suppressed the value (strategies to get certain outcomes):
🕵 Goals & Expectations, Structural Features & Salvage
List each of the social norms, expectations, goals or fears in a grey box
Do those overriding norms, expectations, goals or fears emerge because of some structural features?
Click each toggle below and write the corresponding structural features that create those norms, expectations, goals or fears below
1) Social Norm / Expectation / Goals/fears
Social Ideology - defend my "tribe"
Emerge from what structural features?
1) Expectation / Goals
Emerge from what structural features?
How can you change these structural features to deescalate this expectation / goal?
2) Expectation / Goals
Emerge from what structural features?
How can you change these structural features to deescalate this expectation / goal?
3) Expectation / Goals
Emerge from what structural features?
How can you change these structural features to deescalate this expectation / goal?
4) Expectation / Goals
Emerge from what structural features?
How can you change these structural features to deescalate this expectation / goal?
5) Expectation / Goals
Emerge from what structural features?
How can you change these structural features to deescalate this expectation / goal?
🃏 Joker-ing
Player one picks a scenario they want to disrupt. Player two play-acts their role in the scenario for about 30-60 seconds to set up player one with a game they can change. Once player one has made their move, they point out what structural features they changed. Take turns!
What kinds of responses are possible?
Examples: like | friend | follow | thank | review | comment | join | commit | request | buy | eye contact | body language | hand signals
Why are we communicating?
Examples: Shared Goal — team meeting Shared Value — close friends Shared Topic — comment thread Interlocking Goals — marketplace Unclear — strangers at a party
How quickly are we communicating?
Examples: Off the cuff — improv, chat rooms Asynchronous — texting Thoughtful — journal and share Contemplative — blog posts
How do we interact?
Examples: In pairs — news feed Teams — sports league Whole Group — sharing circle Disjointed — high school dance (in-groups/out-groups)
Pick A Scenario
A and B are at mutual friend's party. A is doctor, B does some weird freelancing. A asks B what B does for work.
We are making coffee. There is no time for anything else. Words or feelings that are not about coffee are not allowed.
We are making a group decision about the office using the consensus voting protocol in which people can thumbs up to vote for a certain office, down for against, thumb sideways to abstain, or hold up there hand to block a decision.
We've been friends for 10 years and haven't hung out in a while. Tonight, we will have FUN.
A checks tickets on the subway. B has none. A makes a very serious face now.
You and I are running a workshop together. Remember: This client needs to recognise how professional we are.
Your stepmother wants to see a picture of you and your partner REALLY BADLY.
Pretext: Anne wants to be assured that [our future office] will offer her [the ideal mix of introversion and extroversion], and she wants to be so assured quickly, permanently, and with no caveats.
Adam and Eve are strangers at a bar. She sparks up a conversation about whether he comes here often. He isn't into that conversation right now.
There are three people, Mia, Tom and Nadia (an imaginary character). The goal is to feel that disputes involving Nadia and Tom are resolved and also for Mia to not participate in the resolution except that she is already in the room. Nadia does not feel safe. Mia is annoyed and disinterested.
What meaningless time do you wish you could have flipped? Brief your partner so they can set you up and try different ways of changing the game. If you know what value was crowded out, try to move the situation in a way that allows you to live by that value.
What value would you like to live by in that environment? How do you need to change the SF to make that possible?
2 person version - other person guesses what move they played.
🤔 Reflection questions
Think back to a recent situation when an expectation or goal crowded out a personal value of yours. Can you identify the structural features that were linked to this expectation or goal?
Think back to a norm that has been with you for a long time, e.g. one you picked up from your parents. Can you think of the structural features of the situation where it first emerged in?
At the end of this class, what questions remain open? What would you like to practice more?
🕵 Homework: Fieldtrip!
Pick one or two places this weekend to analyse, with the help of structural features.
Where did you go?
Generate a new template by clicking on the grey line beneath and answer the following questions in the grey boxes:
- What norms, ideological commitments, expectations, goals are prevalent in this space?
- Can you tie them to structural features they emerge from?
- How can you change these structural features to deescalate this non-value?
Bonus question
Name a personal value that is supported in this space. Can you guess some values that would be difficult to practice here?
