Young generations (Gen Z and Gen Alpha) are experiencing a structural identity crisis produced by the convergence of permanent digital performance, social acceleration, and economic precarity. In Italy, 51.8% of young people aged 18 to 34 report experiencing anxiety or depression, while 85.5% of the population considers upward social mobility to be almost impossible. In this context, social media become the primary arena for identity construction, transforming the self into an aesthetic project carefully curated to gain recognition. Traditional educational approaches, such as Digital Detox and Data Visualization, struggle to communicate the emotional dimension of this distress to adults, who often interpret it as individual fragility rather than as a response to systemic conditions. This research asks: How can an invisible experience be made physically tangible? How can identity-related distress be felt rather than explained? Can Design act as a facilitating medium through which people become curious about and gain a deeper understanding of issues affecting contemporary society? The project adopts a Critical and Speculative Design approach, aiming to dramatize the problem rather than solve it. The Uncomfortable Room transforms a bedroom into a hostile environment through four devices: a mirror that refuses to reflect the user’s image, a lamp that is always checking you, a diary that sells emotional data, and a chair that punishes rest. These furniture-machines judge, fail, and attack, simulating the daily burden of identity performance. A preliminary survey conducted with both adults and young people revealed a generational gap in the perception of the issue. The installation test investigates whether a bodily experience of distress can help reduce this divide, fostering empathy among the Observers (the adults) and awareness among the Protagonists (the young people). The project ultimately expands into three outputs: a video exploring identity-related routines, an open-data platform for collectively mapping experiences of distress, and an educational toolkit for schools and companies. The research aims to increase social awareness by demonstrating how design can mediate the complex processes of identity construction.
Le giovani generazioni (Gen Z e Alpha) affrontano una crisi identitaria strutturale prodotta dalla convergenza tra performance digitale permanente, accelerazione sociale e precarietà economica. In Italia, il 51,8% dei giovani tra 18 e 34 anni riferisce ansia o depressione e l’85,5% della popolazione considera quasi impossibile la mobilità sociale ascendente. In questo scenario, i social media diventano l’arena della costruzione identitaria, trasformando il sé in un progetto estetico curato per ottenere riconoscimento. Gli approcci educativi tradizionali, come Digital Detox e Data Visualization, faticano a comunicare agli adulti la dimensione emotiva del disagio, spesso interpretato come fragilità individuale anziché come risposta a condizioni sistemiche. Questa ricerca si chiede: Come rendere fisicamente tangibile un’esperienza invisibile? Come far provare il disagio identitario invece che spiegarlo? Può il Design essere il mezzo facilitatore, attraverso il quale incuriosire e comprendere meglio alcune problematiche che riguardano la società? Il progetto adotta il Critical & Speculative Design per drammatizzare il problema anziché risolverlo. The Uncomfortable Room trasforma una cameretta in un ambiente ostile attraverso quattro dispositivi: uno specchio che rifiuta l’immagine, una lampada che sorveglia, un diario che vende i dati emotivi e una sedia che punisce il riposo. Gli arredi-macchine giudicano, falliscono e aggrediscono, simulando la fatica quotidiana della performance identitaria. Un sondaggio preliminare rivolto ad adulti e giovani ha evidenziato un gap generazionale nella percezione del problema. Il test dell’installazione verifica se l’esperienza corporea del disagio possa ridurre tale distanza, generando empatia negli Osservatori, gli adulti, e consapevolezza nei Protagonisti, i giovani. Il progetto si estende infine in tre output: un video sulla routine identitaria, una piattaforma open data per mappare collettivamente il disagio e un toolkit educativo per scuole e aziende. La ricerca mira ad aumentare la consapevolezza sociale, mostrando come il design possa mediare i complessi processi di costruzione dell’identità.
The (un)comfortable room : arredare la consapevolezza: artefatti speculativi per legittimare la crisi identitaria giovanile e favorire l'empatia intergenerazionale
TRAVERSA, BIANCA
2025/2026
Abstract
Young generations (Gen Z and Gen Alpha) are experiencing a structural identity crisis produced by the convergence of permanent digital performance, social acceleration, and economic precarity. In Italy, 51.8% of young people aged 18 to 34 report experiencing anxiety or depression, while 85.5% of the population considers upward social mobility to be almost impossible. In this context, social media become the primary arena for identity construction, transforming the self into an aesthetic project carefully curated to gain recognition. Traditional educational approaches, such as Digital Detox and Data Visualization, struggle to communicate the emotional dimension of this distress to adults, who often interpret it as individual fragility rather than as a response to systemic conditions. This research asks: How can an invisible experience be made physically tangible? How can identity-related distress be felt rather than explained? Can Design act as a facilitating medium through which people become curious about and gain a deeper understanding of issues affecting contemporary society? The project adopts a Critical and Speculative Design approach, aiming to dramatize the problem rather than solve it. The Uncomfortable Room transforms a bedroom into a hostile environment through four devices: a mirror that refuses to reflect the user’s image, a lamp that is always checking you, a diary that sells emotional data, and a chair that punishes rest. These furniture-machines judge, fail, and attack, simulating the daily burden of identity performance. A preliminary survey conducted with both adults and young people revealed a generational gap in the perception of the issue. The installation test investigates whether a bodily experience of distress can help reduce this divide, fostering empathy among the Observers (the adults) and awareness among the Protagonists (the young people). The project ultimately expands into three outputs: a video exploring identity-related routines, an open-data platform for collectively mapping experiences of distress, and an educational toolkit for schools and companies. The research aims to increase social awareness by demonstrating how design can mediate the complex processes of identity construction.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/261619