Optimization Culture
In essence: The rise of data-driven optimization since the 2010s has led to measurable improvements in efficiency but often at the cost of human experience, creativity, and quality of life.
Core Ideas
- Optimization often sacrifices intangible qualities for measurable metrics
- Algorithmic decision-making reduces human agency and serendipity
- The pursuit of efficiency can lead to sterile, homogenized experiences
- What's optimal isn't always what's enjoyable or meaningful
Examples & Insights
Mass appeal and data-driven design have led to reduced color and creativity in our environment. Everything is optimized for the broadest possible acceptance, resulting in bland, safe choices.
Public spaces increasingly feature harsh LED lighting that prioritizes energy efficiency and cost savings over human comfort, making spaces feel clinical rather than welcoming.
"The more productive we get, the more we do, the more emails we send…the more comes back and the busier we get."
— Source: Four Thousand Weeks
Automation is steadily replacing human interactions, from self-checkout kiosks to digital ordering systems, optimizing for efficiency at the cost of human connection.
"New storefronts and restaurants were likewise optimized for the image. Considerations like comfort, accessibility, and acoustics were secondary to visual appeal. It was as if the landscape itself had dysmorphia, altering its physical appearance to fit an arbitrary standard that undermined its primary function."
— Source: My Instagram by Dayna Tortorici
Physical spaces are increasingly designed for their appearance in photos rather than their function as human environments. The optimization of aesthetics often comes at the cost of actual usability and comfort.
"Maybe a storefront was a marketing tool for a direct-to-consumer internet start-up, the way a website was once a marketing tool for a brick-and-mortar store... Walking into such places felt like walking into an app. They always looked smaller in person, like actors who are shorter in real life."
— Source: My Instagram by Dayna Tortorici
The line between digital and physical spaces has blurred, with physical spaces increasingly designed to serve digital purposes rather than human needs.