Research by the Sea: Why Michael?

Over the past decade or so, the wave of digital transformation has converted old and broken processes into connected and efficient systems.

During this time we’ve seen the slow erosion of trust from digital platforms and services; our personal data compromised, the enshittification of service and experience, the creep of disinformation, lock-in, addictive and deceptive design patterns.

“There’s an app for that!” no longer feels optional but mandatory. Is it any wonder the people are starting to say “no”?

What if people refuse?

How should we as researchers and designers respond to refusal? How can we serve people through products and services that exist outside of our glass-fronted distraction rectangles?

I'm delighted that Michael is joining us in Feb 2025 with his new talk – The Spirit of Bartleby: In defence of refusal – to explore this topic. He’ll take a critical lens of how we got here, how to actively push back against the norms in place, and explore new solution spaces.

Next steps

• Grab your ticket for Michael’s talk and the other 6 speakers.
• Read more about Michael’s talk on the Research by the Sea website.
• Connect with Michael on LinkedIn.
• Subscribe to Michael’s newsletter First & Fifteenth.