In Defense of a Slower Culture

As previously reported by PSFK, a few recent signs indicate that Americans may be growing dissatisfied with the urgent pace that seems to accompany nearly every facet of work and play. GOOD Magazine has responded to this by naming their current issue “The Slow Issue”.

The team at GOOD spoke with some prominent futurists about why slowing down may be as important to our future as speed.  These individuals represent a number of industries – from technology to product design to research.  Despite the variety of applications, they all agree that pausing to consider things, notice one’s surroundings, and think about long-term implications prior to making a fast, oftentimes mechanical decision offer benefits that smart, decision-facilitation technology – for example – just can’t replace.

One interesting perspective is offered by Julian Bleecker, a designer, technologist, and co-founder of the Near Future Laboratory.  Bleecker devises “design-to-think experiments” that focus on interactions away from conventional computer settings – screen and keyboard – where everything is tuned to be as fast as possible.

Bleecker asks, “Can we make design where time is inescapable and not be brought to zero? Would it be interesting if time were stretched, or had weight?” To test this idea, Bleeker built a Slow Messaging Device, which automatically delayed electronic (as in, e-mail) messages. Especially meaningful messages took an especially long time to arrive.  He says the SMD experiment is a reminder of a time when love letters were handwritten and posted by mail, often having to cross continents and oceans before reaching the recipient. “I wanted to revisit that experience of anticipation and uncertainty.”

Bleecker believes that a shift to “slow” pushes us to reconsider the importance of time, adding that a natural pace to things includes a natural human pace.  Here’s hoping the “slower” movement is not a trend, but an increased, broader awareness of the benefits that a different pace brings to the world, business and a balanced daily life.

GOOD Magazine: “Hurry Up and Wait”