Create acknowledgement between different groups of people at Milkshake festival by reducing prejudice

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to examine patterns of human behaviour that underlie stereotyping and categorisation, and use this knowledge to design a physical model allowing the creation of acknowledgement between different groups of people at Milkshake festival by reducing prejudice. A survey of Milkshake festival 2017 showed that 85 percent of the visitors are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Observation of Milkshake 2019, combined with interviews (appendix), showed that the festival provides a safe zone where visitors can love whom they want to love, dress how they want to dress and be whom they want to be. Apparently, a safe zone, secluded from society, is necessary for the LGBTQ+ community to express itself. Why is that?Although it is thought that the Netherlands is progressive, as it was the first country to legalise same-sex marriages (Wijnants, 2018), 30 percent of the population finds it disgusting to see two men kiss (Bos, Buijs and Beusekom, 2019). This is presumably caused by heteronormative behaviour (Duits & van der Sanden, 2018), which leads to categorisation, and is maximised by upbringing and society. According to Bos, Buijs and Beusekom (2019), homosexuals and bisexuals feel more often unsafe, depressed and disrespected than heterosexuals. Psychological reasons for categorisation are examined, in order to understand why people display categorisation. At the biological level, the unconscious categorisation of objects and groups allows fast processing of information in the brain (McLeod, 2015). The downside is that such categorisation can lead to stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination. This is linked to the three principles (ABC’s) of social psychology; Affect, Behaviour and Cognition. Stereotyping is the cognitive side: “the positive or negative beliefs that we hold about the characteristics of a social group.” (Jhangiani & Tarry, n.d.). Prejudice is the Affect part: “an unjustifiable negative attitude toward an outgroup or toward the members of that outgroup.” (Jhangiani & Tarry, n.d.). The behaviour part is discrimination: “unjustified negative behaviours toward members of outgroups based on their group membership.” (Jhangiani & Tarry, n.d.). Stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination can negatively influence the way people interact with each other. The LGBTQ+ community wants to be treated like everyone else, and longs for respect and appreciation by the overall society. However, user research shows that stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination are also happening inside this community. For finding respect and appreciation in the heteronormative society, the LGBTQ+ community must perhaps first deal with its own behaviour. The design goal of this thesis is formulated through the 13 Universal Human Needs of Desmet & Fokkinga (2017) (appendix), and aims at creating acknowledgement (respect and appreciation) between different groups of people at Milkshake festival by reducing prejudgment. The interaction vision works as an analogy to provoke specific emotions in visitors when they interact with the concept. These emotions are respect and appreciation, provocation, surprise and connection. An experiential journey is created through a spatial storytelling method.The ideas are created according to the three points of reducing prejudgment (Cherry, 2019), which are empathising with another person, reflecting on their behaviour, and having meaningful interactions. The ideas are evaluated and iterated into a concept proposal. This concept proposal is iterated and re-evaluated through tests with rough prototypes (appendix). The concept ‘Hokjesgeesten’ ironically refers to thinking-in-boxes. It aims at developing an understanding for other groups of people by listening to stories, which focus on four different aspects of certain stereotypes, prejudgments and discrimination. These aspects explain overarching themes within different groups. In addition, the box forces visitors to reflect on themselves by questioning their current behaviour towards another group. For the final evaluation, the space of Hokjesgeesten was simulated by a real-size prototype made out of iridescent foil. Nine participants were asked to partake in this test. They filled in a survey to provide general information, such as age and gender (appendix). The test itself was recorded by audio. The results were analysed and evaluated to form a conclusion and recommendations. Results from the final evaluation suggest that participants felt more appreciative and connected after experiencing the Hokjesgeesten concept. Nevertheless, the concept requires fine-tuning to maximise the desired goal.