What vision do you have for our future?
Last week I had the opportunity to speak to hundreds of Financial Services leaders at Cuscal’s Curious Thinkers in a very sunny and beautiful Sydney.
The key question I asked them: What future should we be designing?
This can be uncomfortable. It requires us to develop a point of view. It requires us to define our moral position. It forces us to ask hard questions and face uncertainty head on.
If you’ve heard me speak or read anything I’ve written, you’ll be fairly familiar with my perspective on the ‘current state’. Key aspects of information society have spiralled out of control (clearly an illusory concept…). Choice architectures are increasingly defined by a smaller and smaller group of organisations. Individuals face increasing risk of material and immaterial harm.
The trajectory we’re on — depending on how you look at it — can seem scary. But we can shift course. We can actively design a technology supported future that empowers individuals and makes life fundamentally better.
This was the focus on my presentation.
Specifically, I propose that the Consumer Data Right here in Australia can act as a catalyst for a future worth designing. We can empower people to participate more meaningfully in the digital economy. We can utilise technology in such a way that we — as individuals — spend more time truly experiencing life’s most meaningful moments.
Unfortunately, too few of us are having these discussions. Fewer yet are taking action.
The progress hindering forces — the anxiety and inertia — are challenging to overcome. Sometimes it feels like the wheels of industry and society are too big and turning too fast to shift course.
Whether this is true is hard to assert. However, our perspective is clear: We have to try! We have to take action… The time is now.
Our most recent report, Designing a humanity centric digital economy, is an attempt to propose early answers to some of these challenging ‘systemic’ questions.
Read it. Challenge us. Build upon the foundation we and others have established.
If we’re to design a better future, we’ve got to start today.
Back to it.
