When I was a young boy I threw a small piece of rubbish out of the car window. As my father drove he saw from the corner of his eye and realized he had a teachable moment at hand. He explained that although the piece of rubbish, probably a small gum wrapper, was small, its presence on the ground could have a significant, negative impact on society. As a young boy, the trash I conveniently discarded from the car seemed absolutely insignificant. My father probably expected to see my expression of confusion and/or disbelief, so he connected my action to the billions of people living on the planet. "What if every person, rather than throwing trash in a garage can, simply threw their trash on the ground, even the small 'insignificant' pieces?" I was bright enough to understand the question and formulate an answer. I have a strong visual mind and creating a picture of people standing knee high in gum wrappers was easy to do. The teachable moment was successful. To this day I maintain a conscious effort to reduce my "footprint" on this magnificent planet and to spare mankind the frustration of pulling old, chewed gum from his or her shoes.
Some people seem to have many more 'important' things on their minds as they live their day-to-day lives. We seem to live in a very busy, fast paced, multi-tasked world and some responsibilities tend to be neglected. I suppose a letter could be sent to each person, or mass media could be used to remind people of the responsibilities each has to him/herself, to his/her fellow man and to the planet. Although a possible option, it may take too long to convince people. So, in an effort to trick people into doing the 'right' thing, "The Fun Theory" was established.
As a means to increase motivation, many creative people embarked on a technological and social scientific journey. The question at hand, What if people could be extrinsically motivated to positively act within society? The Fun Theorists created four models to test. The first creation was the "Piano Staircase", the second was the "Bottle Bank Arcade", the third was the "World's Deepest Bin" and the fourth was the "Speed Camera Lottery". Watch the videos and consider what motivates these people.
Is it simply the 'fun' and entertaining design of the project; bells, whistles, bright lights and prizes? Is it that the design welcomes a social interaction with others that normally is overlooked at such locations? Does the design allow the participant(s) to 'escape' from reality, if just for a few minutes? As people participate do they see a mundane and/or annoying tasks as a new form of educational engagement?
http://www.thefuntheory.com/
The designs created by the Fun Theorists are certainly engaging for individuals and social groups. People laugh with and at each other as they become mesmerized by "new colors" on an "old hat". Certain individuals, appearing to be alone, exstatically completed tasks that previously were done without a second thought. The activities designed certainly entertained those participating and those viewing. Some participating completed a task over and over again as the 'bells and whistles' captivated their minds. To an extent, they probably were less concerned with the actual purpose of the activity and more engaged with the superficial elements. I, also, suppose some people 'escaped' from reality as they performed the functions required to engage in the experiment. I wonder if the 'piano stairs' hypnotized certain individuals enough that they forgot about time and as a result arrived late to their next destination? I also wonder if any participants were inspired to look into music classes or if some went home an dusted off their old instruments? I doubt any thought that they were getting some form of health benefit as they 'played' the stairs. Job well done, Fun Theorists.
So the question is, To ZOmbie or Not to ZomBie? Although some participants may have been captivated to the point of zoning out the outside world, they did not appear to clumsily swagger, angrily mumble or deathly stare into empty spaces. The participants seemed eager, joyous and full of life. Some even appeared deep in thought as they tried to figure out how the contraption at hand functioned. ZOmbies generally do not smile. Many do not even have jaws or teeth or tongues...or arms or esophagi.... ZomBies definitely do not think, since their brainzzzzz 'slushify' and slowly drip from their cranial orifices. Unfortunately, however, what is new will one day become old. This is a trigger for... ZOmbification.
The traffic light was once a new, colorful contraption that mesmerized drivers and pedestrians. In our fast paced, entertainment, experience demanding driven society new tricks gather cobwebs almost as fast as they were created. The resulting problem: ZOmbies. Unless the Fun Theorists continue to adapt and redesign the activities, the people will become bored. They will begin to lose their smiles. They will begin to walk up the stairs and forget to listen to the music of each step; they may even become annoyed by the sounds and growl under their breadth. They will grow tired of bringing their bottles to the "Tokyo/Las Vegas" style recycling depository and simply throw their bottles in the rubbish can under their kitchen sink.
To ZOmbie or Not to ZomBie? Unfortunately, its a slow progression towards ZomBification.
Interesting blogg Sean! What a thought, that simply by making something fun, people will engage in activities that are suppose to be the norm, i.e. following speed limits, recycle, proper disposal of trash and exercising. Also interesting is the point that what was once exciting becomes mudane and uninteresting. Food for thought, so how do we paint a picture (like your father did for you) to encourage people to always do the right thing...
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