Seriously. Now what the f**k?
Eh? A super compelling and provocative angle — and just the kind of slimey slippery cultural shift that Design Fiction can make visible through artifacts. Let's go rooting around into the fuzziness between authority, trust, charisma, and credibility, which are all very live questions right now, especially as we see expertise being redefined in real time on TikTok, YouTube, and AI-generated content platforms.
Another 90-minute immersive session, we’ll explore a world where traditional gatekeepers of knowledge—academics, institutions, credentialed professionals—have been displaced (or at least rivaled) by a new class of networked authorities: influencers, charismatic AI personalities, and branded “knowledgepreneurs.”
Expertise isn’t what it used to be. In a reality saturated with persuasive media, micro-celebrities, and frictionless information, credibility is increasingly a matter of style, reach, and vibe rather than formal credentials. In this General Seminar, we’ll explore what that means—by making artifacts from futures where this is simply the normal-ordinary-everyday.
🔑 Key Takeaways 🔑
How Does It Work?
General Seminar offers an alternative to conventional one-way learning experiences like podcasts, TED Talks, or Masterclasses. This is a hands-on seminar where we are all actively engaged in collaborative sense-making by imagining into and creatively conjuring artifacts that represent the futures indicated by the topic. This is followed by sharing and discussions where you will be able to consider how today's emergent themes and cultural idioms may become tomorrow's normal-ordinary-everyday. The goal of General Seminar is to collectively imagine potential futures and derive actionable insights. This is a unique forum for creative stimulation and lateral thinking. General Seminar will invigorates your imagination, leveraging the remarkable efficacy of the imagination to turn ideas into tangible artifacts.
Run of Show
General Seminar is a 90-minute webinar-structured event designed to maximize engagement and insight. Conducted online (and live, in-person on special occasions!)
Participants receive a worksheet and access to the online edition of the Near Future Laboratory's Work Kit of Design Fiction
❥ Reception (5 minutes): Participants are welcomed and introduced to the topic.
❥ Design Fiction Breakout (25 minutes): Using the provided Worksheet, groups of 2-3 participants jump in the Near Future Laboratory's time machine and travel to the near future to engage in creative exploration, world building by 'finding' and imagining the kinds of artifacts one might stumble across in a possible near future world.
❥ Seminar (40 minutes): Facilitated group discussion to delve deeply into the topic.
❥ Wrap-Up (10 minutes): Summary and conclusions.
This immersive, collaborative format distinguishes General Seminar as a space for actionable creativity and innovative thought.