How social norms, pressures, and new ideas can form a new sustainable world.

1. Tensegrity
Kelly Kokaisel
As a designer, one has to be conscious that 80% of the impacts of a product are determined at the
design stage. The metaphysical ideas that we try to represent physically through the creation of goods
and services have impacts that we can’t always anticipate. As in the tensegrity model above, it is these
metaphysical ideas and common beliefs that hold ideas in place in this world. It is therefore extremely
important that the way we think is based on truths and positivity, and on precautionary measures.
Society has evolved for a long time now. Past cultures have established systems that they have built
pride upon. Society wants us to keep acting within this system, as it is only the beliefs of the masses
that keep these systems in place. They want to compress us into the system. If people begin to believe
something different, eventually the system will fall apart.
People have begun to see that the systems that have been built are not working anymore. People are
thinking in ways that want to expand the system, but we are somewhat limited by the technologies and
infrastructure in place that compress the physical manifestation of these ideas.
All in all, if we expand too quickly, the tension will be too great and the system will collapse. If we
compress too much, the system will collapse. The question is, can we create change the system enough
in time to avoid a catastrophic tipping point.