In a recent Scrybble newsletter I mentioned that I would explain the motivation and ideas behind how I’m setting up my business vision for the longer term. Part of that is openness, but there is more to it than just that. I’ll start with a short overview of enshittification, and then switch to a broader explanation of the “Applied Communication Design” vision that I’ve been mulling over in the past year or so.
Enshittification
Amongst other things, Cory Doctorow is famous for coining the term enshittification. This term encapsulates the idea that as businesses capture a larger part of their target market, they can get away with trading away quality and increasing prices.
There are many examples of how this can play out in practice, but two simple and concrete example of this are repairability and ownership.
Louis Rossmann is famous for spearheading the “right to repair” movement. The idea is simple, if you own something then you should be able to repair it yourself or have it repaired by someone with the right expertise.
This idea is so simple that it might seem almost absurd that it’s not true. Yet, in practice, companies are getting away with making it impractical, intentionally difficult or even illegal or even illegal to do so.
Take the case of John Deere’s adding DRM to tractor software disallowing farmers to repair the tractors that they own. Another example is less insidious; did you get a detailed blueprint or a bill of materials (BOM) with your washing machine? Printer? Computer?
In many situations, I do not know what parts I need if any of them ever end up breaking. I also do not get a blueprint or any of the design documents. Design is intentionally opaque and the details of the engineering are hidden from the consumer. There’s a good history by the YouTube channel design theory on how simplicity as a goal in consumer-oriented design leads to a degradation in know-how for owners of products. When was the last time you modified an appliance? When was the last time you attempted a repair for yourself?
If I buy an Ikea table, I know exactly which parts I would need if any of the parts ever end up breaking. Depending on what washing machine I buy, I might have an idea, or I might have no idea. I personally believe that repairability and ownership of a product should be a given.
Luckily, the state of repairability is improving. In the past few years we’ve had framework computers emerge, Apple has softened their repair policy, US farmers won the lawsuit to repair their John Deere tractors, and consumers are getting more aware of repairability of their products.
I believe that it’s a good thing that the overall landscape is shifting, but I also believe that business - like how Framework computers or many other new initiatives operates - can be set-up to be a true win-win for everyone involved.
Similarly, the kind of win-win that I aim for is built on trust and transparency.
Isn't it odd that you sell subscription-based software if you believe in ownership so much?
Yes, it is odd. And that is why I opted to make Scrybble entirely open-source. I view the subscription as paying for the convenience of hosting and paying for continued maintenance and support.
I might experiment with different payment models in the future, but this model works for now.
If anyone at any time has particular privacy requirements or financial difficulties, I strongly recommend hosting Scrybble for yourself.
These aspirations are a work-in-progress
As you might imagine, I’m highly idealistic and idealism doesn’t always mix with business or with reality. The aforementioned Framework computers has similar aims to be radically repairable, yet they don’t score a perfect 10/10 on all aspects of repairability, customer-service, transparency, ease of assembly and similar.
The point is not so much for me or my business to have the direct answers, the point is that I’m aiming and aspiring to structure the business in such a manner that it is win-win for everyone involved. I’ve also worded it differently before:
Do real work for real people, redistribute what we learn, what we earn and what we create as broadly as we can, wherever we go.
I’ve been working hard on a set of values, principles, a core mission statement, a motto and even a mantra for this “way” of doing business, which I’m calling Applied Communication Design. This, again, is still massively “work-in-progress”, but I hope this article serves as a short taste of what it means to adhere to the mindset and vision of Applied Communication Design.
Applied Communication Design
My strategy is rather wild, and perhaps unrealistic, but that is why I’m putting it to the test and bringing these ideas into the world, so that they may be challenged by real people rather than just simmering inside of my head for months if not years.
The idea for Applied Communication Design emerged from a strong anxiety about our medium-to-longterm future. No matter the complications of politics, conflicts and “late-stage capitalism” and whatever, the harsh reality that we have to deal with is that climate change and ecological collapse are some of the most serious and more importantly certain parts of our future that we will have to deal with one way or another.
- Ecological collapse
- Trying to minimise the effects of climate change
- Dealing with the effects of climate change
- Social isolation and depression
The core idea of Applied Communication Design is based on McLuhan’s media theory “The medium is the message”, which can more or less be summarised as “our (technological) environment shapes us as much as we shape our (technological) environment”. There’s a lot more to be said about this topic, but I believe this is a reasonably fair take on the idea.
McLuhan’s idea more or less means that the technologies we have in our environment strongly influence and guide our behaviour. Our current world is set-up for consumption, more than it is set-up for living, and that has created all kinds of serious problems.
How I want to approach tackling these issues is through business, science communication & education and R&D.
While outlining this vision and slowly in the past years and slowly stepping out of the “theorizing zone”, I’ve learned two important things:
- It’s impossible to do this alone
- I need to WAY step up my game in all different kinds of manners, I need to educate myself much more, improve my health and challenge myself to go far beyond my current skillset
Regardless, my strategy for growing Applied Communication Design looks as follows:
- I aim to bootstrap this business as much as possible; don’t depend on external investors because they are unlikely to align with the radical and ethical aspects of this venture
- This bootstrapping is also meant that I can grow as a person at a pace that is fitting to the growth of the business - I do not believe I am ready to be leading a serious R&D and science-communication business at the time. I do believe (and know) that I am ready to make web-based products, and I have some skill in writing and explaining difficult concepts.
- As the things I make grow in revenue, and trust in my products grow over time, I aim to spend money and time on investing in science communication and communal events in a similar manner to Waag Future Lab, Dynamicland and articles aimed to very, very thoroughly explore extremely difficult societal problems in the style of Explorable Explanations - the most inspiring of which still remains Bret Victor’s What can a technologist do about climate change.
- This should grow trust, build exposure and lead to more serious and important clients, which in turn generates more revenue, etc.
In the next section of this article, I’ll share the resources I’ve written for the business:
Mission statement
Applied Communication Design is a product business and consultancy working on media, engineering and technology that foster curiosity, connection, nature and resilience. Our aim is to create products and technology that empower people to live in harmony - both together and with nature - within the conditions of the 21st and 22nd centuries.
We bootstrap our growth because businesses that make real impact own their vision wholeheartedly - like Ikea, Nintendo, Lego, Bosch, and Valve. These companies can think long-term because they control their own direction.
At our core is the belief that difficult problems are solved together. We bring people together through principles of communal computing and connection with nature.
Motto
Do real work for real people, redistribute what we learn, what we earn and what we create as broadly as we can, wherever we go.
Mantra
Applied Communication Design constitution
The Applied Communication Design constitution is written in terms of value cards. See Joe Edelman - Rebuilding Society on Meaning, 2023
These cards are meant to be used as navigation tools when making choices or when encountering difficult feelings or situations within doing business.
I find it scary to share these ideas with the world, because they might be seen as stupid, naive or incomplete. But it is what I believe is important, and not just because it is the “right thing to do”. I believe tackling these issues as directly as we possibly can is important because the reality we’ll be living in 20-50 years from now might (or will?) be so radically different from our current reality, that we better be as prepared as humanly possible if we want to maintain our current lifestyle.
This document serves not as a final or polished manifesto or something of the sort, I’m merely sharing what I’ve been thinking about and working on in the past year or so when it comes to the foundation and building blocks of the way I want to run business.