The Power of Redescriptions

Originally posted on July 10, 2016

Anybody who has been on the internet in the last week would know that AR application, Pokemon GO, has become one of the most widely documented and publicized mobile apps in history. User experiences have become top trending stories across many online media outlets and social networks, alongside the multitude of complex narratives which have got people thinking about equality, globalization and personal fitness.

However, is this popularity really a surprise? I, like every stereotypical 23-year old, grew up watching Pokemon and participated in every way possible in the franchise: purchasing the trading cards, Nintendo games, paraphernalia, and who could forget the board game Master Trainer. But no matter how much Pokemon gear my parent’s bought for me and how much it was discussed on the playground, there was always a gap that could never be filled. I would never be able to participate in the Pokemon universe myself.

Pokemon GO, regardless of its many weaknesses, has made an impossible dream a contemporary reality. Why now though? I mean we have had AR in mobile applications since 2009. Can we attribute everything to the fact that the technology was not quite there yet, or was there something more at play? Instead of technology, was it common sense that was holding us back? Was it the fact that it had taken over a decade for people to ask themselves the same question they did as children — could we bring Pokemon to our world?

I use this timely event to make a larger point in this post:

Change does not occur with the evolution of technology. Instead, it occurs with a single catalyst: vocabularies

What I am trying to say is that all innovations, perturbations and meaningful encounters are not attributed to something biological or scientific, it is much more poetic than that. All change in the world is a result of a ‘redescription’, or in other words, altering your vocabulary around a certain subject, in either a positive or negative way, to something that meets the needs of your current situation.

Think of an egg. Not too long ago an egg at a grocery store was the same as all the eggs at that grocery store and all eggs at all the other grocery stores across the town. Today you have a long list of differentiating factors of eggs: free-range, omega 3, organic, cage-free and free-run. We have adopted and learned a variety of different words that now make up how we describe eggs and been given new ways of describing other things in the world.

Instead of an object, let us use a word instead. Think of the word ‘selfie’. This is a recent addition to humanity’s vocabulary but the action itself is not new. However, now when a person today sees the activity of taking one’s own image documented from 200 years ago, they would not be able to describe that situation any clearer than saying that the person took a ‘selfie’. So what is occurring is that the new word (selfie) is being used to describe a situation in the past where that word did not previously exist. Unfortunately, the worst part of all of this is that the word ‘selfie’ comes with its own baggage of negative connotations and, as a result, it contaminates history with contemporary culture.

What is occurring in the last two examples shows how words and descriptions can change on the small scale but it is worthwhile noting that this amplifies a lot further, not just in the description of other things but also of ourselves and life itself.

All human beings carry about a set of words which they employ to justify their actions, their beliefs, and their lives. These are the words in which we formulate praise of our friends and contempt for our enemies, our long-term projects, our deepest self-doubts and our highest hopes. They are the words in which we tell… the story of our lives. I shall call these words a person’s “final vocabulary.”

- Richard Rorty, “Private Irony and Liberal Hope”

“Final vocabulary” sounds awfully final but Rorty makes it clear that one’s vocabulary is always changing and morphing based on one’s own pragmatic circumstances. Also, do not think that changing your final vocabulary means simply learning new words as the idea is fundamentally focused on using existing words but in different ways. The word fresh used to be solely associated with the quality of produce but can now be used to describe a person’s clothing, which is a redescription.

With the idea of redescription in mind, it is important for businesses to understand innovation not in terms of scientific or technological evolution but instead focus on ways of redescribing needs in a more pragmatic and poetic way. Instead of looking at virtual reality and machine learning as the next epoch of technological evolution, therefore the main focus of your team, look instead at how human beings describe situations in their life that are relevant to your business and how you can change it in a positive way. If the way you choose to change your client’s vocabulary can be supported by VR, mobilize your resources to work on that tech. If not, then neglect. QR codes were probably never going to help Pokemon come to life.

Uber, Airbnb and Snapchat are all prime examples of redescription in practice. Most of these businesses have encouraged the average onlooker to utter, “why didn’t I think of that first,” inspired by the subtle and logical reasoning behind all of the listed platforms. And really the only reason you did not think of it first is because you were too willing to accept common sense as the best way to do something. Uber is nothing but a redescription of the common story we told ourselves that only regulated and authorised merchants were able and willing to transport us from destination A to destination B. Snapchat thought about redescribing the story that instant communication with friends can only be attained through text-based mediums.

So go out into the world and change the way you describe things: start using different words to talk about your cup of coffee or visit to the gym and you will eventually find more enjoyment from those experiences because you have given them more power by giving them more words. Pressure yourself to never repeat words or sentences and look to others for inspiration. Once you have understood the power of the redescription, you will be able to merge worlds and make new realities, all the while bringing yourself meaningful projects.