Esther Y. Kang
US politics foster a conflicting mode of existence—one that centres on heterogeneity and individual freedom. The contradictory nature of these two characteristics divorces the individual from networks and cause a collective state of disparate dissonance. This brings to the fore the line of inquiry on hegemonic influences on the concepts of objectivity, normativity, and standardization as systems are designed and developed in the US. The assumption of a system’s inherent apolitical nature overlooks the foretelling promise of marginalized groups’ intuit on what may be at stake and what may be a great potential due to points of tension in a system. This conjures the affective world of politics and the political in the designed
im/material worlds.
Keywords: design politics, oppressive systems, affect