The world is working exactly as we designed it.

The combustion engine which is destroying our planet’s atmosphere and rapidly making it inhospitable is working exactly as we designed it. Guns, which lead to so much death, work exactly as they’re designed to work. And every time we “improve” their design, they get better at killing. Facebook’s privacy settings, which have outed gay teens to their conservative parents, are working exactly as designed. Their “real names” initiative, which makes it easier for stalkers to re-find their victims, is working exactly as designed. Twitter’s toxicity and lack of civil discourse is working exactly as it’s designed to work.

The world is working exactly as designed. And it’s not working very well. Which means we need to do a better job of designing it. Design is a craft with an amazing amount of power. The power to choose. The power to influence. As designers, we need to see ourselves as gatekeepers of what we are bringing into the world, and what we choose not to bring into the world. Design is a craft with responsibility. The responsibility to help create a better world for all.

 

WHERE CAN I BUY IT?

You can buy it online from your favorite retailer using the links right on this page. You can also walk into your local and ask them to order it, it’s in the Ingram database. You can even tell them how excellent it is and suggest they order a few to keep in stock.

…a childish attempt. I was excited to hear logical arguments but all I got was ‘This is crap, that is crap, please please do the right thing. Big companies are monsters.’”
— some rando on Twitter