Density of Meaning in Autogenic Value: A manifesto for better understanding consumer experiences, Part One
This manifesto was developed without traditional research, case studies, interviews or surveys. For this reason it may be laughed at and regarded as irrelevant by most who read it. I won’t object to any claims of irrelevance, immaturity or being just plain wrong. The theory is simply my vision of a framework to apply a new understanding of value and meaning. I wrote it with the help of unrelated disciplines, dusty old novels and a misleading intuition. This self-effacing introduction may save you from certain boredom, but I hope it will simply shift your expectations so that you see it with the raw naïvety in which it was written.
The aim of this manifesto is first to outline an ensemble of devices that take the burden off conscious control and design of the consumer experience, but also to describe the ensemble as self-generating and self-organizing in creating value for the consumer within the experience. The most important aspect of the ensemble is that it is not designed; it must be the result of interconnected patterns between consumer behaviors and their cognitive processes. The ensemble then has the ability to deal with multiple layers of value-meaning relationships in concert with one another, adapting to new relationships through it’s intrinsic autogenic quality.
Things will be the same as they were – only the way things are seen changes. If we can accept this, then we understand that positioning vision is the most important task for any business or organization. Ayn Rand’s character Ellsworth Toohey of The Fountainhead speaks in support of this theme.
“It’s much simpler than it appears. That’s because you think in terms of personalities. You think it’s done piecemeal. But dear me, the lifetimes of a hundred press agents wouldn’t be enough. It can be done much faster. This is the age of time-saving devices. If you want something to grow, you don’t nurture each seed separately. You just spread a certain fertilizer. Nature will do the rest.”
He continues later by expanding this idea with another gardening reference:
“You can follow one of two procedures. You can devote your life to pulling out each single weed as it comes up – and then ten lifetimes won’t be enough for the job. Or you can prepare your soil in such a manner – by spreading a certain chemical, let us say – that it will be impossible for weeds to grow. This last is faster.”
Ms. Rand does an excellent job of explaining the importance of creating a better framework. If we try and design separate experiences for each consumer, we would never reach a large enough group to build a business. Yet, on the other hand, a one-size-fits-all approach yields a one-size-fits-none result.
In his book, Notes of the Synthesis of Form, Christopher Alexander describes the problem of the “architect” as a role in form making. The designer developed as a progression from the act of addressing micro-problems as subsets of cultural tradition, to the modern designer tackling macro-problems through “conceptual habits.” The fact is that the cognitive abilities of humans do not have the breadth necessary to capture all micro-problems involved in form making. Concepts are used as a crutch to help group micro-problems into manageable subsets of the macro-problem.
This is analogous to how a book’s index is divided, arranged and grouped to provide the reader with a method of navigation. We would not, however, presume to understand the book through a glance at the chapter organization.
I am not arguing against the functionality of the index. It has a very specific role, but too often it is used as a substitute for understanding. A chapter heading represents a boundary, rule or principle. In practice, a principle is often created as a summary of biases, and therefor cannot be trusted as fact.
Now let’s turn the focus from the problem to the solution. In a novel, characters are typically introduced in some fashion to the reader. The characters are concepts from the writer’s mind, but expressing their meaning is difficult, if not impossible without first condensing meaning into a persona. Take a character’s name, John, which has no initial meaning except for any previous associations (friends, family) that the reader has experienced with the name. The writer must embed the character with qualities, personality and tendencies that can later be recalled with a single mention of the name, John. This is one way that dense meaning is formed. Compression is formed from the persona the writer provides, but the reader also plays a major role. The words and phrases used by the writer have their own cultural and experiential associations for the reader. All of these associated meanings from the reader are also compressed into the character, John.
Compression is economic. It refers to the compression of meaning into sensory input. Words, for example, are the compression of language. Cultures drive the compression of meaning, while individuals expand and express this meaning. Each individual will expand the compressed meaning differently, but there are always patterns that describe this process. Each pattern is a description of both a problem and a solution. Each problem is a burden of choice, need, expenditure, culture and desire. Too often the solution is not visible simply because the problems are not recognized as interrelated burdens. The following will attempt to lift this veil.
The Burden of Choice
While the burden of choice is typically the outcome of influence exerted by other burdens, the burden of choice is influential due to the drastic psychological effects of choice scales. We make choices based on unlimited factors, but these factors fit into patterns that describe our burdens. Therefore, in a top-down approach, dissecting the burden of choice will lead to the definition of the other burdens. The burden of choice, however, is more about the process of narrowing a given number of options to one final choice.
The Burden of Need
Needs are conditions that, without satisfaction, cannot support a healthy existence. Food, water and shelter are generally defined as basic human needs, but these are immediate needs that sustain life. Over time other needs may surface such as companionship, mobility and stimulation. Needs are separated from desires through their functional relationship to the human condition.
The Burden of Expenditure
In a world dominated by capitalism, money will always be a burden, regardless of material worth. It is also the easiest burden for people to identify. Consumers are bombarded daily by businesses recognizing this burden by wielding sales and premiums to capitalize on it’s effect. For some, the burden spawns from necessity, for others, unnecessary expenditure is a cultural symbol of luxury. In this light, it should be noted that the burden of expenditure is strongly linked to cultural burdens. Culture does not change the nature of expenditure, but it does shift the importance differently between currency, goods and services.
The Burden of Culture
Culture can influence needs and desires, but it remains a separate burden due to its role in behaviors. Patterns of an individual or groups behavior both define and create the burden of culture. In order to make the burden of culture actionable, the degree of influence must be determined. To what degree will an individual seek to satisfy the burden of culture? Sometimes an individual or group will seek the opposite. They will attempt to remove the burden of culture by actively disengaging from it’s influence. Attempt is the key word, because disengaging from one culture can only bring the burdens of the new culture.
The Burden of Desire
Desire is formed as a result of an imbalanced condition. We are constantly seeking that which brings equilibrium to our condition.
Burdens are often dependent on other burdens in defining a problem. For example, I have a need for shelter on a car trip, so I search for a shelter that I desire. I desire to occupy a place where I am comfortable. The discomfort or instability that I experience when I occupy a place with a different culture than my own is undesirable. Through this personal observation, I have narrowed my options down to two options that meet my desire for comfort. This burden of choice is limited due to my burden of expenditure. Therefor, my burden of expenditure ultimately leads me to a solution. The order of the burdens, of course, can change. Perhaps I recognize my burden of expenditure early, or I prioritize the burdens differently. In any case, this example describes how different burdens interact along the path to a solution.
So where does meaning fit into the patterns of burdens? In the previous example, meaning helps me define or recognize my cultural burden. Let’s say I was born and raised in rural Kentucky. When I’m on my road trip making a choice between two hotels, I see one that is named “Bluegrass Inn,” and another, “Arabian Nights.” Meaning is automatically triggering my experiences and biases toward a equilibrium of cultural comfort.
