[DSDN 171] Blog Assignment #7

Can you identify the creation of any “symbolic universe” today (or in recent years)? How might media and design be implicated in the construction of these social universes today?


Visionary “symbolic universes” and such concepts have played main roles throughout history, and still do. The goal of reaching our 'Utopian world' with it being in tact with our political and social lifestyle may bring individual's together in a familiar comfort-zone. Up until the 21st century is our world still in hope of reaching its Utopia.

  

Known as a huge turning point in regards to our Utopian image, occured in the 1930's: New York World's Fair "The World of Tomorrow (1933-34)" & Chigago World's Fair "The Century of Progress Exposition (1939-40)". These two fairs highly brought about science, industry and progress as main focus points in terms of building our futuristic universe. These fairs were specifically known as a response to historic, or rather, past events - the Civil War (1861–1865) and the Great Depression (≈ 1930's). These world fairs created hope of a newly-transformed vision of the near future ideally looking towards capitalism, consumerism and leisure-based activities - highly focused on the masses. America in the 1930's were in desire of an evolution from war and economic depression to a state of positive change.

In our world today, especially with our constant focus on the digital age, we are hammered to strive to perfection which is deemed to be persistent through the media - television, internet and film. Media and design as main major tools, convince the world to be digitalized. We as individuals vision an 'instant' world - as things being handed to us in an immediate second, we see this through the eyes of media and design. Today, I believe our world is stuck on idea that 'the more we have the more we're happy'. With that simple phrase, there immediately becomes a problem because of the reality that we can never have enough as there are constant creations and re-creations. While we are currently at a known peak of technology, we struggle to coincide with our likes of sustainability. I believe there's always a balance - a give and take, a win and lose - over coming that 'balance' is still yet to be seen. 


------------------


Reference list:

Informed From:

Kihlstedt, F. (1986). Utopia Realized: The World’s Fairs of the 1930s in Imagining Tomorrow: History Technology, and the American Future (pp.97-118). Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.