Play Lab: Observing possible micro-futures

People who brush their teeth in the shower

I have had a few friends who brushed their teeth in the shower. I’ve heard a few reasons behind this: it saves time in the morning, it makes them feel cleaner, it’s how they were raised.

What if multitasking was one of our society’s core values? What if we tried to consolidate all of our rituals and mundane daily activities into one? What it multitasking and saving time was our first priority?

People who share their food over the internet

Whether on Instagram, Pinterest, or facebook, you will see people sharing photos of their food.

What if we really shared our food the way we do on social media? What if when we ordered or cooked a meal, we were ordering for our friends too, and we were happy to share?

People who ask “How are you?” and mean it

Today at the gym, I locked eyes with someone I barely knew using the machine next to me. He started the conversation with the classic “How are you?” and after 5 minutes we were still talking, and I was no-longer working out.

What if there was no such thing as small talk? What if when we ran into acquaintances, we told them how we were really feeling?