Fictional AI-illustration
Definition
Grasping the distinction between “social” and “societal” is essential for effective social innovation. While “social” focuses on individual interactions and community dynamics, “societal” encompasses the larger frameworks that shape these interactions. By integrating both perspectives, designers can avoid reinforcing individualistic narratives and work towards systemic change that promotes equity and justice.
Introduction
In a small village in Botswana, under the shade of a towering baobab tree, a group of people gathers to share stories and bojalwa, a traditional beer made from millet. Children play nearby, their laughter blending with the rhythmic drumming from a distant celebration. This gathering is more than just a social moment; it’s a space where community ties are strengthened and wisdom is passed down through generations. The conversations range from the day’s events to age-old traditions, illustrating the rich variety of social interactions that define daily life. These interactions—neighbors exchanging greetings, friends supporting each other, families bonding—shape the strong fabric of what it means to be social.
As the conversation deepens, the mothers begin to discuss broader societal issues—education disparities, healthcare access, and the lingering effects of colonialism. These topics shift the focus from social interactions to the larger systems and structures that shape their community’s reality. For instance, they speak of how limited access to quality education hinders the younger generation’s opportunities, a problem rooted in historical and systemic inequities. They discuss healthcare access, not just in terms of personal health choices but how national policies and resource distribution impact the entire village.
This scene illustrates the vital interplay between social interactions and societal structures, a nuance often overlooked in design discourse. The term “social” refers to the immediate, interpersonal dynamics that occur in everyday life, like the sharing of stories and bojalwa. In contrast, “societal” encompasses the larger, structural issues that affect entire communities and populations, such as education systems and healthcare policies. Understanding this distinction is crucial for designing solutions that address both the immediate needs of individuals and the broader systemic challenges they face.
Social: the heartbeat of human interaction
The term “social” pertains to the interpersonal dynamics and relationships that define our daily lives. It encompasses everything from social gatherings and networks to norms and services that directly affect individuals. When we talk about social design, we refer to creating environments or systems that enhance these individual interactions and improve personal well-being. For instance, initiatives aimed at reducing loneliness through community events or support groups are inherently social in nature.
However, focusing solely on social interactions can sometimes lead to an oversimplification of complex issues. Take poverty, for example. A social perspective might attribute poverty to personal failings or lack of effort, ignoring the broader systemic factors at play. This limited view risks reinforcing individualistic narratives that fail to address the root causes of social issues, such as economic inequality or historical injustices.
Power dynamics and historical context
Understanding social dynamics also requires acknowledging the historical and power contexts that shape individual interactions. For instance, social identities influenced by colonial histories and ongoing racial or ethnic exclusions profoundly affect how people relate to one another. These layers of identity and history add complexity to the social experiences we design for, reminding us that interpersonal dynamics are often influenced by larger societal forces.
Societal: the frameworks of collective existence
In contrast, “societal” refers to the broader structures and systems that govern our collective existence. It encompasses the norms, institutions, and policies that shape entire populations, influencing how communities function on a macro scale. Societal design addresses issues such as systemic inequality, cultural norms, and institutional practices, seeking to create equitable frameworks that benefit all members of society.
Systemic inequality involves entrenched disparities within society’s structures and institutions, manifesting as economic inequality, racial and ethnic discrimination and gender bias. Societal design aims to dismantle these barriers through policies such as equal pay, affirmative action, and anti-discrimination laws.
Cultural norms are shared expectations guiding behavior within social groups, influencing gender roles and social interactions. Societal design seeks to shift harmful norms towards inclusivity and equity through public awareness campaigns, diversity programs, and inclusive education reforms.
Institutions like the legal system, education, and healthcare significantly shape societal outcomes. Societal design critically examines these institutions to identify and reform practices that perpetuate inequality, ensuring equity through inclusive curricula, support policies for underrepresented students, and equitable resource access.
Institutional and policy analysis
A societal perspective requires a critical examination of enduring structures within institutions like the legal system, education and governance. It involves analyzing how these institutions perpetuate inequality and exploring ways to reform them for greater equity. Societal design encourages inclusive and equitable changes that consider how policies impact diverse groups differently based on intersecting identities.
For example, when tackling poverty from a societal perspective, we examine factors like income distribution, employment policies, and access to education. This approach highlights the structural nature of poverty, focusing on policy failures and systemic inequalities rather than individual shortcomings. By addressing these larger issues, societal design aims to create sustainable, inclusive solutions that go beyond surface-level fixes.
Neoliberal mystification
Neoliberal ideology employs the term “social” to describe social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter. This framing presents these platforms as practical tools for individual expression and interpersonal interaction, creating a veneer of community-building and democratization. It emphasizes the platforms’ ability to connect people across the globe, facilitating the exchange of ideas and fostering a sense of global and inclusive community. However, this perspective conveniently glosses over the commercial and exploitative underpinnings of these “social” platforms.
Hidden beneath the rhetoric of “social” interaction is a lucrative business model predicated on the commodification of users’ attention and personal data. Users are transformed into products, their data collected, analyzed, and sold to advertisers. These practices are obscured by the focus on individual usage and “connection,” allowing corporations to profit from users’ activities under the guise of facilitating “social” interaction.
Moreover, neoliberal ideology also employs the term “societal” to frame their market-based plans as solutions to broad structural problems. They present the market as an inherently efficient and fair mechanism for distributing resources and resolving “societal” issues. This approach is typified by the advocacy for “entrepreneurial solutions” to social problems or the “gig economy” as a path to individual empowerment and economic resilience.
This “societal” rhetoric obscures how these market-based solutions often exacerbate inequalities and fail to address the systemic roots of the problems they claim to solve. For instance, gig economy jobs may offer flexibility but often lack the stability and protections of traditional employment, placing workers in precarious situations. Yet, these issues are downplayed or ignored in the discourse of market-based “societal” solutions.
Shifting the focus in design
To address social and societal problems effectively, designers and innovators must shift their focus away from individual-centered, consumer-first, solutionist and product-focused design frameworks. These commercial approaches limit the ability to engage with deeper issues and can inadvertently perpetuate the very problems they aim to solve. Instead, it is crucial to embrace a more holistic perspective that considers the broader systemic and structural factors at play.
By prioritizing community needs and engaging with the socio-political contexts of the issues at hand, designers can develop more sustainable and equitable solutions. This involves moving beyond creating products and services that cater to individual consumers and instead focusing on systemic change that benefits entire communities. It means designing with an awareness of power dynamics, historical contexts and the complex interplay between social and societal factors.
Engaging with local communities, understanding their unique challenges, and co-creating solutions that address both immediate needs and long-term systemic barriers are essential steps. By doing so, designers can help foster environments where equity, justice, and collective well-being are at the forefront, ultimately leading to more impactful and lasting change.