Hate, Hacking Sleep, and Human Premium
Hacking a Good Night's Sleep
It’s no secret that people feel like 24 hours in a day is never enough, or what we call Time Poverty here at sparks & honey. As a result, sleeping has become less about rest and more about self-optimization. Not only does the quantity of hours matter, but also the added physiological benefits that can take place during REM are gaining prominence and simultaneously becoming hotbeds for innovation.
Our culture briefing explored the nuances of sleep transcending into a science. With a growing number of people willing to go the extra mile to optimize their body’s capabilities, there is a boom in technology from sleep wearables to silk pillows to smart beds. Western and ancient medicine practices are being used here in the most modern way, as Laura Chiavone, managing partner, mentioned.
We are seeing a combination of practices and uses blending together when it comes to hacking our sleep, such as Muse’s new meditation headband that plays personalized sounds for undisturbed sleep. Another promise of restful sleep is with DUX’s high-performance Element bed that includes many connected features, and Panasonic’s skincare-supporting bed that delivers invisible infrared lighting and steam.
What does this mean for the sleep industry? We may be becoming better sleepers, or better people, by hacking our minds and bodies for the holy grail of eight hours of sleep.
When Your Therapist is a Bot
According to a Gallup poll that surveyed 150,000 people worldwide, Americans reported feeling stressed out, angered and worried, more so than any other country. Consequently, new technologies are helping us seek out someone to talk to in convenient and accessible ways. One signal featured in our briefing on precision mental health explored a growing market of AI-powered psych-bots. Technologies such as Woebot and Noni provide therapy anonymously, anywhere and anytime an individual needs someone to talk to. As we integrate robots into different aspects of our lives, what we value through human interaction or in AI communications may change.
Although bots are exciting and resolve many problems, we walk a fine line between human and machine. The capabilities of artificial intelligence can feel limitless at times, there are certain components to large problems that should remain human. When it comes to advice, Chief Technology Officer Jared Alessandroni questioned the implications of an AI bot saying something that does not make the user feel better, as did Director of Cultural Strategy Ben Grinspan, who acknowledges that although traditional therapy is expensive, AI bots present some bigger societal problems. As the Human-AI relationship evolves, human premium might prevail in the therapy world.
Are you skeptical or excited about a future with AI psych-bots? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
New Flavors of Hate
Former Special Representative to Muslim Communities and Author of How We Win Farah Pandith and President of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership Rabbi Irwin Kula joined the s&h culture briefing to discuss the origins of hate, the cultural mechanisms that nurture it, and how hate spreads. One of the first topics covered was the importance of language in media, or how hate is represented in everyday ways. However, what is manifesting is a new flavor of hate that we are still trying to grasp. This type of hate relies on an existential threat; it’s not “us versus them” but rather about a danger of survival. As a result, many groups of people are being maliciously targeted globally with no end in sight.
Farrah also points out that there is a market for this new flavor of hate. Via online communities and propaganda, people are making money on digital platforms with little consequences. Online hate groups bond over a shared humor and combined efforts of “shit posting”, or trolling people online promoting hate. Director of Cultural Strategy Matt Klein mentioned the “social currency” involved when people engage in online hate groups. This social currency holds a lot of power over people and can’t be regulated by media companies. The question then becomes, who should be held responsible to combat hate? Farrah suggests that there must be a movement large enough where the corporate sector is willing to aid in resolutions.
That’s the starting point, so let’s push the pressure for all leaders globally to step up and make a change.
Hannah is a Junior Cultural Strategist at sparks & honey. She considers herself a ceramicist, bookworm, hot sauce aficionada and pro subway surfer. At one point in her life she ran close to a five-minute mile.