Source: movetia.ch

The unique vocational educational system 

Imagine a teenager, working at a facility operating power-driven sophisticated machinery, carrying out basic medical procedures, working as technicians fixing an elevator or even advising investors for 3 days of the week. And spends the remainder days of the week at school, learning fundamental skills such as maths and language, as well as the theories and skills that are relevant to their job. How does one accomplish all these at a young age of 14?

It may seem mind-boggling to some, I myself could never imagine this happening in my home country, Singapore. However, this may come as nothing astonishing in Switzerland and its fellow German-speaking countries. Where apprenticeships are an integral part of the educational system. In this blog post, I will be focusing on Switzerland, whose system is arguably the strongest in Europe and have received praises on the international stage for its notable unique dual educational model. In a nutshell, the system places high emphasis on investing in training and producing a highly skilled and market-oriented workforce. Youths in Switzerland from the age of 14 are given the choice to choose the vocational education system path (VET) upon completion of nine years of compulsory school.It entails a dual program in combination of classroom learning and well supervised on-the-job training in occupations ranging from technicians, craft people, human service to bankers. Despite the obvious advantages and benefits that this system provides to both the economy and to youths who are not academically inclined. However, there are risks inherent in the system.

In the face of intelligent automation, does this system really offer the best chances of employment? Does it equip youths with the optimal education system that will ensure their survival in the labor market? Where AI will end the future of work, in a growing span of job sectors. This looming prospect raises concerns about the increasing contingency of rising unemployment and the widening of the inequality gap between rich and poor. If workers cannot rely on work for income in the future and have no other means of support. Which would result in economic destitution.In this blog post I will bring up the discussion on how this system’s strong emphasis on practical training might not be oriented enough towards the future in the age of intelligent automation, and what can be done to improve the VET system. 

Boons of the VET system

The VET system is widely regarded as the country’s greatest economic asset. It is no coincidence that Switzerland has the lowest youth unemployment rate of 3.3%, last recorded in February 2021 according to Trading Economics . Attributable to the VET system, youths are able to become financially independent at a young age, taught about the value of money and equipped with plentifully of experience and professional skill. The hybrid classroom blended with workplace hands-on learning, helps to develop many soft and work-oriented skills, which leads to the smooth transition into the labor market and job securement. Moreover, workplace practical learning plays an imperative role to the development of apprentices.Due to the fact that apprentices are able to get an in-depth glimpse on the day-to-day operations of a job, and gain practical skills on how to operate the latest equipment. At the same time, receive mentorship from industrial professionals who are familiar with the industry standard technologies.

From personal experience when working on a university project, and having had the chance to visit the Schindler apprenticeship facility, where youths between the age of 14-18 go to for 3 out of 5 days of the week for practical training. I witnessed first-hand, the training curriculum that the apprentices undergo and how the program was carried out. There, they are paired with and supervised by a professional mentor and trained to work with sophisticated complex machinery, which require professional skill and precision. I would be lying if I said my 14-year-old self wouldn’t be intimidated by this. 

In addition to that, apprentices also get paid to be schooled and at the same time receive on the job training. This not only benefits the apprentices but from an employer’s point of view, the VET system facilitates the companies‘ access to potential employees. Thus, making subsequent recruitment of skilled employees who are already familiar with the company’s ethnics and culture, much more cost-effective. Based on a study by OECD on the VET system, exhibited case studies done in Switzerland. Shows that companies who partake in providing the apprenticeship program were able to profit from the productive contributions of the apprentices of more than or equivalent to the costs of training. Hence, both parties benefit tremendously from an economical point of view.

Banes of the system

On the contrary, despite the evident strengths of the VET system, there are significant flaws and challenges. Imagine yourself as a 14-year-old, who has just completed mandatory school. Now, you are finally able to embark on your childhood dream of running a hotel. Hence, going for an apprenticeship in the hotel industry, learning only the skills and knowledge catered to hoteliers. After years of learning the ropes of the ins and outs of running and managing a hotel. You finally land in the job of your dreams, of working at a renowned hotel. However, years down the road, your job has been replaced by an AI, to enhance productivity and reduce operational cost. What will you do then? When you’ve spent at least 10 years of your life acquiring skills that are specifically oriented to the hotel industry.

When examined carefully, the VET system has its shortcomings. Particularly, when disruptive technology will drastically change the nature of work, which is more often than not known as the fourth industrial revolution (i4.0). Statistics from Skill Panorama revealed that, it is estimated that approximately 14% of jobs in the EU market, which is equivalent to 31 million workers, who face a high risk of job loss as a result of automation. In correspondence with the VET system, the curriculum is too specialized and job oriented. As a result, neglecting emphasis on general academic skills, as well as soft competencies. These leads to missing out on developing personal competency skills that would enable professional mobility and help lay the groundworks for lifelong learning. Furthermore, apprentices often times do not receive adequate support from the company to allow them to develop soft skills and nurture them to be lifelong learners through reskilling and upskilling to meet the rapidly changing nature of work.

A call of action for change in the Swiss VET system

The rate at which automation technologies are emerging, and the extent to which they have the potential to disrupt the world of work, may appear daunting, but it is inevitable. This calls for a dire reform in the Swiss VET system in order to equip its youth with the necessary skills and tools to navigate through the labor market where artificial intelligence and automation will eliminate and displace jobs throughout a broad range of industries. Taking into account the research and predictions from a study done by the McKinsey Institute . The types of work at the frontline that are most vulnerable to automation are in environments where changes are relatively easy to anticipate. These are most prominent in jobs that involve data collection, data processing, manual physical labor. In industries such as manufacturing, accommodation, food and beverage services and retailing. However, no job is entirely safe from automation, and one must be geared and equipped with the necessary soft skills and mentality to be able to stay relevant in the job market. 

The VET curriculum needs to provide a balance between having a generic and holistic curriculum, with a focus on soft skills and core competencies such as emotional intelligence, communication and creative problem-solving skills, to name a few. The apprentices should also be trained to be agile learners and taught about the importance of reskilling and upskilling. At the same be geared with job-oriented skills that meet the labor market needs. Consequently, the apprentices will not be bogged down in one job for life, but rather equipped with a range of cognitive competences and capacities for further learning on and off the job that will enable them career mobility and sustain their lifelong learning aptitude. Subsequently, benefiting and enabling occupational mobility and career development in the ever-rapid changing world of work.

 

Written by Grace „The nature of work is changing, so should the Swiss apprenticeship system.“ weiterlesen

You’re at home, just about to go to bed when you see a notification pop up on your phone. Just a quick glance won’t harm, right? You pick up your phone and open the notification. WhatsApp. Then you swipe over to Instagram, YouTube, Facebook just to check in on the newest happenings. Before you know it, hours have passed without you even realizing it. Does this sound familiar?

Social media oftentimes gets stigmatized as being addictive, even toxic. I was always aware of the fact that it can be addictive, but I never really asked myself what exactly it was, that kept us users engaged for hours on end. That’s when I stumbled across a documentary called “The Social Dilemma” on Netflix. The show touches base on exactly this topic. How social media is consciously designed in a way to keep us users endlessly scrolling through their platforms, unveiling their hidden machinations and algorithms. 

We humans are essentially social beings. That is the way we function; we rely on human interaction and cooperation to survive and thrive. Social media creators are very aware of this and have applied this inevitable fact about us humans to their own advantage. Studies have shown that the constant inflow of notifications such as retweets, likes and shares have programmed the brain’s reward system to trigger the same chemical reaction such as drugs like cocaine. Neuroscientists have compared social media to a syringe of dopamine being injected into our systems.

That being said by no means does social media have to be demonized. In my eyes, many advantages and opportunities can come from using these platforms. Like I mentioned earlier, we humans are social creatures. Social media offers us platforms to connect with others and therefore widen our social network. I have come across many opportunities simply due to people I’ve met or got connected to online. By being aware of and informed about the little tricks social creators implement in these different platforms to keep you engaged, you can stop yourself from spending more time online than you had intended to in the first place. So, I dug a little deeper to find out how exactly these platforms are designed with deliberate tools, designs and features to keep the user hooked so we know what to keep an eye out for the next time we grab our phones and start scrolling.  

Slot machine effect

One of these is the pull-to-refresh feature. You can imagine this one like sitting in a casino in front of a slot machine. Every time you pull down the social media page to refresh its content it’s that little spark of unpredictability that keeps you excited. Sometimes there’s something exciting waiting for us, sometimes there’s not. Not knowing which one of both it’s going to be, is what keeps us coming back for more. It’s the exact feeling of pulling the lever on a slot machine and that release of dopamine due to the excitement of not knowing what you’ll get. 

The second aspect is the fact that these platforms have no stopping cues. This feature has been implemented to keep the user endlessly scrolling without looking up. Similarly, to being in a casino that is designed to not have any windows nor clocks, this feature keeps you glued to your screen and keeps you in the infinite scrolling cycle. If the apps wouldn’t implement this feature, the user would have to actively click to load the next page like in Google. That brief moment of reaching the bottom of the screen would allow the user a split second to think about whether or not they want to continue to the next page or move on to another activity. Instead, by making the feed bottomless, the user is more likely to get stuck in the cycle of endlessly scrolling. The same thing happens on YouTube and Netflix for example where the user doesn’t have to actively click on the next series or video but instead, the website automatically plays the next one in queue within seconds without any button having to be pushed by the user. 

Like epidemic: Social comparison and social reward

Then there’s the like epidemic. This is a big one. We crave social acceptance. As I mentioned in the beginning, we’re wired to be social creatures. In today’s day and age, this is nowhere more apparent than on social media with the so-called “likes”. When one posts a new picture, tweet or video, the likes that flood in give us social validation. “You get an emotional high when your posts hit a responsive chord with your audience, so you keep going after it, and you’re never fulfilled because you’ll always want more likes,” states Susan Krauss Whitbourne, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts. Likes release oxytocin because of the social connectivity that we feel, this then releases serotonin which triggers a chain reaction in our body which naturally leaves us craving more. 

Social pressure: The wavy dots, “read” message and the blue ticks

The famous three dots you see when someone is typing. The “read” appearing on messages. And the blue ticks that show up on WhatsApp. These three features keep us on our screen because we know that the person on the other end can see if we read the message which in effect adds pressure to answer. The three dots indicate when a person is typing, here it’s the unpredictability that plays a role again. What if it’s important for us to read what the other person is about to send straight away? The user more than likely will stick around and wait for the message.

Apps show users what they like

Of course, the algorithms of these social media platforms are programmed in a way to show us exactly what they know we want to see. Has it happened to you that you were talking about a product to your friend and then the next minute that exact item you were talking about pops up on your feed? Or you google something and then it sneaks its way into every platform you use as advertisement. Well, this is no coincidence and you’re not paranoid. Our phones collect our voice data. It has to “listen” to attend to our voice activation, so what suggests that they’re not collecting other information while doing so? 

Gamifying social interaction

Another factor is the gamifying aspect of social media. For example, Snapchat’s “streaks”. These keep the user engaged and motivated to keep on using the platform daily so that the “streak” they have with their friend doesn’t get lost. The more you use the app, the higher score and trophies you receive. This in effect keeps the user wanting to come back for more. 

Push Notifications

Perhaps the most influential of them all. The push notifications. These are the ones that grab our attention multiple times a day to try and lure us away from what we’re doing, onto our phones. This phenomenon is also linked to the social construct of FOMO (fear of missing out). We check the notification because what if it’s something important? What if it’s information or a happening that we can’t miss out on? Social media creators say that this is the main thing they design to address users directly and send the message: “Hey, come check what’s happening in the app”. These notifications re-engage us users and make sure that the app is always at the back of our mind. 

It can take some digging, but these notifications are customizable or can be completely switched off to your liking. For example, the phone tries to keep us alert and scrolling by using bright colours. Take the red bubbles that appear on the apps for instance. Turning off these colours with a black and white filter found in the phone’s settings can limit our phone and social media usage because we don’t constantly get pulled in by the red notifications. Furthermore, scrolling through Instagram with only black and white pictures can get boring really quickly. This setting is not widely known or instantly visible without actively seeking it, if this is intentional by the developer you might ask?

To recap

The above-mentioned elements are a few psychological design tricks that are embedded into our social media apps. Social media creators’ main goal is to keep the user engaged and craving to come back for more. Their platforms strive on keeping us users on their apps, therefore they’re naturally always going to be on the hunt for new ways to keep us glued to our phones. If you stay aware of these elements and keep a lookout for them, the time you involuntarily spend on your phone can be greatly limited to keep you focused on other things. But that being said, in my opinion, there’s no need to quit social media entirely because of the many benefits that can come from it. As long as you’re smart about it and stay aware that the goal of the platforms is to keep you there for as long as possible, consider adjusting your settings accordingly and you’ll be alright. 

Written by Shirin

Sources Used

Hilliard, J., & Parisi, T. (2021b, March 30). Social Media Addiction. Addiction Center. https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/social-media-addiction/

Liu, R. (2020, November 4). The psychology of why social media is so addictive – UX Collective. Medium. https://uxdesign.cc/the-psychology-of-why-social-media-is-so-addictive-67830266657d

Muldrew, E. (2020, September 15). The secret design tools which Social Media apps are using to create addiction. Medium. https://medium.com/swlh/the-secret-design-tools-which-social-media-apps-are-using-to-create-addiction-e6a502ccb79f

Price, C. (2020, April 15). Trapped – the secret ways social media is built to be addictive (and what you can do to fight back). BBC Science Focus Magazine. https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/trapped-the-secret-ways-social-media-is-built-to-be-addictive-and-what-you-can-do-to-fight-back/

These are the sneaky ways apps like Instagram, Facebook, Tinder lure you in and get you “addicted.” (2018, February 20). Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/how-app-developers-keep-us-addicted-to-our-smartphones-2018-1?r=US&IR=T#instagram-sends-dozens-of-push-notifications-each-week-and-uses-stories-to-attract-you-1

Wexler, S. Z. (2016, June 3). Why Your Likes Don’t Actually Mean Anything. Cosmopolitan. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a57384/why-your-likes-on-social-media-dont-mean-anything-addiction/

How understanding the weave of an intersubjective web of meaning can help design better.

09.04.2021
Blog by Ever Bright Chakma

“Sapiens rule the world because only they can weave an intersubjective web of meaning: a web of laws, forces, entities and places that exist purely in their common imagination.”
~Homo Deus, Yuval Noah Harrari.

An extract from my diary, Emmenbrücke, January 28th 2021:
„I get a little detached. A walk down a busy street, the
the world around me consists of strange sounds made by creatures speeding around in strange objects, the structures around me consists of shapes and colours I have always seen but never really detached from before, the queerness expands even to greater depths as I get into an exchange of acoustics coming from these contractable holes on our faces with these creatures, around me, we utter noises that loose and gain shape, pick up volume and gain speed and wait, they have hair above their eyes that squiggle around in reaction to some noise have made! Fantastic, I also have deep sensations and a body that I can in no coherent sense explanation of how I am in control. I thought, well isn’t it such a dream.“

Intersubjective realities: a shared dream
I have often taken my understanding of the world to be a solid reality. But after some reading and detached observational experiences, it seems reality is quite subjective and thereby complex. As things go, we have transformed our imaginations into our living realities. This affects to great lengths the complexities we live in today. In our subjective reality of the 21st century, we have created entities like Google that exists in the imagination of the masses and thereby is allowed to claim existence, Google is 100% non – existential, a couple of humans came together assigned a similarly made-up law that allowed them to put a word or a sign as a “brand” for a mere idea and thereby, Google was born, not merely as an organization and a brand but also a non-human living entity that acts in accordance to its owners is allowed to do and own things. It’s a living imaginative creature that can affect our realities! No other animal in this existential realm would understand what Google, Switzerland or the European Union is. The same applies to money (all that hard work and drama for that made up thing!), human laws, religion, economics, governments, countries, degrees, education, moralities and so on. These are all living myths, that we exist in and so have our predecessors and so will our accessors! I was baffled by all of this. We live in the works of an elaborate and collective common imagination that has allowed us to build this world with all its wonder and horrors.

According to various historians, scientists and mystics, we all live in a triple-layered reality which began 70,000 years ago when the cognitive revolution began for the Homo Sapien and there became contexts to what a subjective reality looks like for the individual; like feelings and personal aspirations, the greater intersubjective reality of society like money, religion and nationalities which gave thousands and millions today to work together unlike any other animal. Then there is an objective reality which will remain no wonder what you and I believe in, like gravity and no matter what religion, political idea or race, affects us all without exception. All of these realities work together to give us a tool of survival and existence in this world.

Design within this dream
I am studying design (another word {not real} assigned to the creative and imaginative aspect of human beings) which is pretty much interconnected to all of these myths and can help if done in an effective way steer the course of these myths.  So having a little awareness of the larger idea of which and how fictions give meaning to the world probably provides anyone to be aware of how our world works and within that where do our creations lie in and what happens to it in several scenarios of this complex imaginative forum.

I believe deciphering and having command over this fiction provides our creations to break away from the limitations of what we know as our current intersubjective reality and creates ground for new better possibilities. Designers deciphering these patterns of fiction can have the power to make well-informed designs, to mitigate those fictions that retard human growth and development, paving way for better designs that can create all-new better possibilities. If we know that for a given case of a problem which lies within this intersubjective web of meaning, we know for sure its fiction and it requires the stakeholders in this problem to know the same and thereby, make a well-informed decision where the outcome can have a greater value for all, a win-win situation.

But again, it is not very easy to steer this reality to anyone’s whims and desires without mass support and acceptance of a submissive reality. In all of the greatest events today and in history where masses followed leaders and movements gained momentum, there is and was a series of events that were highly context-based that favoured these leaders. The rule of the fictional Arab Democratic Republic of Egypt of today would have no power in the powerful fictional Pharaohs’ regime of Egypt, as the contexts of these fictions have changed, they would have to defeat the Pharoah’s army and challenge the people’s fictional belief in the Pharoah’s divine rule and manage to fit the fictional gods of Egypt into their democratic policies and convince people of what a democracy is. But if one has the context and support of the masses, not only the Pharoah but anything can be removed and replaced. The learning is that as social creatures our reality is submissive to ideas of mass acknowledgement and acceptance.

Currently with the advent of cyberspace that paves way for a digital realm of reality, where data spans out worldwide across the digital infrastructure submerging realities and creating new hybrids it becomes ever more exciting and also fearful. With the presence of vast knowledge and data, the world will definitely look different in the near future and this intersubjective reality will become even more intricate and thereby all of our lives in it.

Knowing very clearly that fictions weave us together and the quality of our lives is a direct result of this fiction. We must strive to create frictionless systems that can exist within which hunger, crime, disease, poverty and no other human ailment exists. Sounds like a fancy dream? Well, are not we in one already?

Sources
Harari, Y. N. (2018). Homo Deus: A brief history of tomorrow. London: Harper.
Vasudev, J. (2016). Inner engineering a yogi’s guide to joy. New York: Spiegel & Grau.

One would think that in nowadays society, issues such as sexual assault would be a thing of the past. We have so many educational tools available to us, so many ways of learning and understanding the problems that our actions may cause to someone. However, that is not always the case. Sadly, to this day, there is a lack of individuals’ education regarding sexual education. Moreover, teaching on the meaning of consent, respecting bodies, acceptance, LGBTQ community, and what appropriate behavior is when it comes to physical contact. Currently, sex education in Switzerland starts in secondary school; however, each canton has the liberty to apply the teachings in whatever manner they deem as appropriate.

“The frameworks for sexuality education and educational objectives are included in the ‘Plan d’Etudes Roman’ (2009) in the French-speaking cantons, the ‘Lehrplan 21’ (2014) in the German-peaking cantons, and the ‘Linee Guida per l’Educazione nella Scuola’ (2008) in the Italian-speaking cantons.” (E. Ketting, O. Ivanova, 2018.)

Additionally, one fascinating point found in this paper is that the French-speaking part of Switzerland is much more open to the “sex talk,” and they are the cantons that focus the most on hiring trained professionals to teach young individuals about sexuality. Still, it is unknown why this is; however, the push back found on teaching kids about sexuality came from conservative parents, who believed that these types of teachings should come from home. Therefore, indicating that this is a cultural issue.

According to Swiss law, every child has the right to sexual education. However, though Switzerland currently has sexual education in their curriculum, it still needs to consider what those teachings are and how they can improve them. The fact is, Switzerland has the lowest number of teenage pregnancies and abortions in Europe. However, when we are talking about Sexuality – pregnancy, and human anatomy is not all that is needed to know. There is a vast spectrum of complex topics involved with sexuality that is essential for individuals to learn about from a young age. These topics include consent, sexual orientation, respect of one’s body, body positivity, and inappropriate behavior and physical contact. These are highly relevant topics that are not taught in schools, and they create a base for people to understand from a young age what is an appropriate behavior and what is not. Additionally, because this is considered taboo for so many families, it should not be left out of the curriculum, as it will consequently exclude many young people from the proper education needed to live a safe and healthy life.

Switzerland and Sexual Assault

A survey conducted in Switzerland in 2009 was created to promote a better understanding of the sexual victimization of kids and teenagers and increase the knowledge and demand for policy-making and prevention actions. The survey showed that 22 percent of the girls and eight percent of the boys reported being inappropriately touched against their will. Additionally, 40 percent of the girls and 20 percent of the boys declared being victims of non-contact aggravation, such as improper exposure, harassment, or victimization through electronic means. Based on this survey, it is clear how both boys and girls can fall victim to sexual assault, but it also shows how girls’ assault numbers are higher than boys‘.

With that said, another research conducted in Switzerland – this time with only women aged 16 or older – was created to bring awareness to the horrible problem of sexual violence and harassment in the country. In the survey conducted, it was discovered that 22 percent of women had been sexually assaulted at least once in their life. Additionally, 12 percent stated they have experienced being forced to have sexual relations. However, the issue is that from those women, only 51 percent told anyone about the assault, and of those, only 10 percent reported it to the police. Sexual harassment is a challenging topic to discuss and makes most people highly uncomfortable due to its nature, and many women choose not to speak up. Due to that, there are many untold stories and unlogged cases in the system.

Moreover, what makes this matter worse is that the Swiss law states, in order to report a rape, women are indirectly expected to have physically defended themselves. Hence, when analyzing the official logged numbers of rape cases in Switzerland, they are not accurate – since, in many rape cases, women suffering the attack go under a paralysis-like state. Moreover, in many circumstances, women feel ashamed to speak up, as shown in a survey conducted on 4500 swiss women – where 64 percent felt embarrassed to go to the police, and 62 percent said it was not worth it.

It is about parents supporting teachers and teachers supporting parents.

As mentioned previously, there is a gap in the students’ education from a young age about the meaning of sexuality, consent, and respect for one’s body. Additionally, some parents believe these topics should be addressed at home, as they do not want to over-sexualize or even stimulate their children in that manner. However, the issue is that in some cases, these conversations never happen, and children grow up without the necessary knowledge about sexuality and what are appropriate behaviors. Thus, this is where Social Design becomes a great tool in society’s hand. Based on the statistics mentioned earlier, properly educating individuals on the topic of sexual education has great potential to create behavior change.

A study conducted in 2007 showcases the best-case scenario of what a young person’s sexual education should be. In this study, researchers argued that both the parents and the educators should have essential roles in educating children on their sexual literacy and sexual health. They explained that parents should provide the learnings regarding religion, culture, and values about their intimacy and sexual relations. In contrast, educators should provide education on individuals’ sexuality, physical development, and social skills – as in consent. They argue that professional educators should recognize the important part parents play in sexual socialization, and parents should encourage schools to provide sexual education. The big dilemma comes when one cannot ensure that parents are properly educating their kids at home, which leads this argument to one conclusion – sexual education should have a more significant focus in schools. Children should be entitled to understand how their bodies work and learn to respect them from a young age. Additionally, by doing so, they will know how to react when needed; for example, in case of inappropriate behavior – once addressed, it can be dealt with in an educated manner.

Socially Designing the change.

Applying Social Design Thinking to a situation such as this is essential, as it requires systemic solutions rooted in the society’s needs. In this particular example where a school system change is discussed, social design should be the tool used to achieve it. Significantly with the parent’s help, government, school, teachers, and students – since the end goal is to create a system that serves all these individuals equally. A social design change should be made from a multitude of perspectives, which reflects the people. With that in mind, Design Managers could be a great choice to lead such social change, as they explore ways to understand people and their concerns in a particular setting and cooperate with them to design plausible solutions to better those concerns and specific circumstances. Thus, Design Managers involved in the social design project to change a school sexual education curriculum should work closely with the individuals mentioned earlier, who are equally involved in the matter.

In closing, implementing this topic-specific educational tool in young people’s lives allows a significant potential to shift people’s mentality and phobia on the topic of sexuality. Moreover, educating young people from a young age gives them the power to understand their bodies and their counterparts, but it also allows them to learn to respect them. This social design effort can change how people approach and demystify an uncomfortable topic to most individuals of all ages. Finally, by educating and exposing all involved to this topic, society will become more educated, will be able to normalize it, and most importantly, will learn to respect one another.

Written by Marina L. Praxedes.

Bibliography
Brown & Wyatt, T. B. &. J. (2010). Design Thinking for Social Innovation. Stanford Social Innovation Review. https://ssir.org/articles/entry/design_thinking_for_social_innovation#

Curtin, C. (2020). Illustration by Chrissy Curtin [Digital image]. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.standuprasash.com/blog/where-has-all-the-sexual-education-gone

Federal Centre for Health Education. (2018, 03). Sexuality Education in the WHO European Region. Fact sheet of the status of sexuality education in Switzerland. Factsheets_Online_Switzerland. https://www.bzga-whocc.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Dokumente/BZgA_Factsheets_Online_Switzerland.pdf

Federal Office of Public Health FOPH. (2018, 09 13). Sexuality education. sexualaufklaerung. https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/gesund-leben/gesundheitsfoerderung-und-praevention/praevention-fuer-kinder-und-jugendliche/sexualaufklaerung.html

Lucerne School of Art and Design. (n.d.). About design management. About design management. https://www.hslu.ch/en/lucerne-school-of-art-and-design/degree-programmes/bachelor/bachelor-design-management-international/dmi-about-dmi/

Mills, G. (2019, 05 21). One in five Swiss women ‘a victim of sexual assault’. The Local. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190521/one-in-five-swiss-women-a-victim-of-sexual-assault/

Ronny A., S. (2007, 06 11). Sex Education and Sexual Socialization: Roles for Educators and Parents. Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1363/3911607?casa_token=kIDHIscDVysAAAAA%3Aw7BZ8DfRa5eshnt1c2jYAOwJuS4CtYSNGusNo9N6obIrl5Du-lnfEWgHZ42iTkRCJ3x2lM7iuhgf-Ck

SWI swissinfo.ch. (2021, 01 12). How a new definition of rape could impact Swiss law. SWI swissinfo.ch. https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/how-a-new-definition-of-rape-could-impact-swiss-law/46268830#:~:text=As%20in%20many%20other%20countries,violence%2C%20threats%20or%20psychological%20pressure.&text=This%20means%20that%20in%20certain,%22%20rather%20than%20%22rap

UBS Optimus Foundation. (2011, 11). Sexual victimization of children and adolescents in Switzerland. 57169-1 Report Optimus Web.indd. https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/38665315/Sexual_victimization_of_children_and_adolescents_in_Switzerland.pdf?1441364122=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DSexual_victimization_of_children_and_ado.pdf&Expires=1617979369&Signature=Iz2R6

In Switzerland, the market for legal hemp, also known as CBD – short for Cannabidiol – continues to rise. Not only can you find it in cosmetics, nutrition, and medicine, but it is also growing in the area of tobacco substitutes. For ten years – so since 2011, CBD can legally be grown, sold, and consumed in Switzerland. The consumption variations are huge – from the flowers, oils, e-liquids, cigarettes to shisha tobacco. The boom of this business is also visible in the tax revenues from 2019; according to the Federal Office of Public Health, the revenue amounted to 15.1 million Swiss francs, whereas in 2016, it was around 400’000 Swiss francs. However, the hype of CBD has also brought a dark cloud over Switzerland, which needs to be addressed and rapidly brought to people’s attention.

History

The Hemp plant, also known as Cannabis, is one of the world’s oldest crops and ornamental plants of the world. Since back in the 1800s, people all across the world have been able to use each part of the plant; the seeds offered nutrition, the fibres were used for textile and were the main raw material before cotton was introduced. Also, the plant was used for paper production, seed oil, and medicine. Due to its fast growth, it was one of the most commonly cultivated weeds. Regarding the medical aspect, ever since ancient times, cannabis has been combined with medicine to reduce pain or nausea. In the 1970s, a synthetic version was produced for medical purposes; even today, one can find the artificial kind in certain medical products.  

Furthermore, the flowers of the hemp plant contain two main active substances; Tetrahydrocannabinol THC and Cannabidiol CBD. Because THC has an intoxicating effect when consumed, it is why the plant is illegal or banned in most countries worldwide. However, CBD is not intoxicating, and its active ingredient is soothing, pain-relieving, and antispasmodic. 

Hemp in Switzerland

The Swiss law states that cannabis flowers with a high content of CBD and less than 1% THC can be legally grown, sold, and purchased in Switzerland. Therefore, people started cultivating hemp under those laws. As stated in a newspaper article, from 2015 to 2017, hemp cultivation has increased sixfold. Consequently, everyone wanted to be a part of this growing market, leading the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health to specify the conditions for the trade with CBD-containing products. Together with Swissmedic, the Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office, and the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture, came up with regulations that needed to be considered before a product can enter the market. 

Unfortunately, around 2018, the demand for CBD products stopped rising but the production continued to grow – there was an overspill of CBD. This led to a drastic decrease in its pricing. In the beginning, the plantation farms could sell one kilogram of the harvested flower for approximately 4000 Swiss francs. Now, they can only sell it for 1000 Swiss francs, which was when inappropriate activities began. 

The Dark Twist

In 2020, there were increased reports and articles about dangerous cannabis found on the black market. In addition, more and more people entered hospitals claiming to have unusual symptoms – heart racing, shortage of breath, or unconsciousness – from the consumption of cannabis. However, the more dangerous side effects can be seizures, psychotic episodes, heart attacks, or even death. Therefore, the drop of the CBD price brought a dark cloud over Switzerland – the distribution of synthetic cannabinoids hit the black market.

Switzerland is known for its high average of cannabis consumption with young adults and has been among the leaders in Europe for years. According to a survey by the Swiss Government, more than one-third of adults (aged 15 and over) have experienced cannabis. Overall, young adults use cannabis more often and with increasing age, their use sinks. Furthermore, the percentage of men with cannabis experience is higher than women in all age groups. Either way, it is shocking to read about the side effects that synthetic cannabinoids can have on people’s health. As there have not been many studies regarding the health issues of synthetic cannabinoids and only short-term effects during intoxication are known, information about the long-term and potential aftereffects need to be investigated.

Synthetic Cannabinoids “Spice”

Switzerland is one of the only countries with this CBD law which makes it a local problem. Since CBD can be grown legally in Switzerland, the plantations started spraying their industrial hemp with a chemically produced THC substitute. As soon as the chemical evaporates, the synthetic cannabinoid remains on the flowers as a fine and invisible coating. Because the active ingredients are so potent, only a small amount needs to be applied. The synthetically sprayed CBD looks like regular cannabis, allowing the dealers to sell it on the black market. 

However, synthetic cannabinoids are not new to humankind; in other countries such as Italy or the UK, it is known as Spice. As there are more than 140 different types of cannabinoid, it is difficult to identify them in human body fluids – specialists assume that is one of the biggest reasons consumers show interest in this chemically produced alternative. However, with cannabis testers, synthetic cannabinoids can be distinguished from regular cannabis flowers. According to Saferparty, the demand for cannabis testers has increased in the past months. Furthermore, in Zurich, the Drug Information Center DIZ offers anonymous and free drug testing. Through the increase of synthetic cannabinoids, they now offer one that identifies the quantitative determination of the THC and CBD content in the flowers and can also detect synthetic cannabinoids or false declarations.

The Problems

1. The first problem of synthetic cannabinoids is the way it is applied. The harvested CBD flowers get sprayed with cannabinoids – for example, with airbrushes which painters usually use. The chemical may not be distributed evenly over all flowers through the spraying process, leading to an overdose of the substance. 
2. Another problem is that dealers and end consumers usually are not aware of the type of cannabis they receive from the black market. The regular flowers and synthetically spray ones cannot be distinguished with the naked eye.
3. Finally, the problem of consumption – as the synthetic cannabinoid contains a far higher dose of its type of THC, it needs to be consumed to a lower degree compared to regular cannabis – you cannot overdose on regular cannabis. 

The biggest problem is when you combine all of the three above. Someone who does not know about synthetic cannabinoids will consume and treat their cannabis as they regularly do. On top of that, the growers cannot apply the substance evenly, which leads to an overdose on certain flowers. This can lead to a „double overdose“ as the chemically substituted THC is also much stronger than the natural THC. As mentioned above, the side effects of this synthetic cannabinoid can lead to hospitalization or can even be fatal – there is no antidote once the substance is in your system. However, the intoxication phase is remarkably shorter than it is with regular cannabis, indicating that the consumed cannabis is of the synthetic kind.

Addiction counselling centres, reporters, and some government people are spreading the word regarding the danger and how to proceed with caution. For protection, specialists say first to inhale two or three puffs and then put the joint aside for at least 30 minutes. If an unusual effect occurs or the intoxication decreases rapidly, the consumption should be stopped immediately. If possible, consumption should only happen when someone is present who remains sober in case of an emergency. Lastly, other substances such as alcohol can increase the risk of dangerous side effects and should not be consumed simultaneously.

Design Opportunity 

To overcome the outbreak of the dangerous synthetic cannabinoid, the Swiss government needs to take action. Some people think by legalizing cannabis, the problem will disappear. This may be true but as that is a huge federal topic which is not predicted to change soon, smaller action plans and short-term strategies need to be implemented in the meantime. It is fundamental to continue to bring awareness to the consumers. Also, by making cannabis testers easily accessible in head shops and online stores, the risk of consuming hazardous cannabis or an overdose can be prevented. 

Moreover, an initiative should take place to overcome the spread and production of synthetically sprayed CBD. In this case, a Design Manager is a good choice as a leader to foster collaboration between the needed stakeholders. The team may consist of people from the Federal Office of Public Health, specialists from drug addiction centres, health care workers, and scientists regarding CBD and synthetic cannabinoids. Furthermore, implementing design thinking – a new approach to problem-solving – results in innovative ideas of how to execute these system changes appropriately. 

Author: Georgina Mrose

 

Sources:

20Minuten. (2019, December 22). “Besorgniserregend, dass viele Negatives berichten.” 20 Minuten. https://www.20min.ch/story/besorgniserregend-dass-viele-negatives-berichten-685638742314

Anthony Clarke. (2016). The Hemp Revolution – Documentary. In www.youtube.com. https://youtu.be/aOHYY3oExuQ

BAG, B. für G. (2021, April 8). Cannabis. Www.bag.admin.ch. https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/de/home/gesund-leben/sucht-und-gesundheit/cannabis.html#dokumente__content_bag_de_home_gesund-leben_sucht-und-gesundheit_cannabis_jcr_content_par_tabs

Bundesamt für Gesundheit BAG, Swissmedic, Bundesamt für Lebensmittelsicherheit und Veterinärwesen BLV, & Bundesamt für Landwirtschaft BLW. (2019). Produkte mit Cannabidiol (CBD). Überblick und Vollzugshilfe. Bundesamt für Gesundheit BAG.

Drogeninformationszentrum (DIZ). (n.d.). Drogeninformationszentrum (DIZ) – Stadt Zürich. Www.stadt-Zuerich.ch. https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/sd/de/index/unterstuetzung/drogen/diz.html#angebot_cannabis-drug-checking

Schmitz, R. (2019, July 17). CBD-Hanf: Boom des legalen Cannabis. St.Galler Tagblatt. https://www.tagblatt.ch/ostschweiz/cbd-hanf-boom-des-legalen-cannabis-ld.1136094

Suchtprävention Zürich. (2020). Auf dem Schwarzmarkt werden vermehrt. Die Stelle für Suchtprävention im Kanton Zürich. https://www.zfps.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/zuefam/aktuell/gdzh_su_factsheet_hanf_200402_web.pdf

Tages-Anzeiger. (2020, August 5). Zürcher Polizei überfordert. Tages-Anzeiger. https://www.sucht-praevention.ch/cm_data/China-Gras_illegal_und_gefaehrlich_Tages-Anzeiger_online_200805.pdf

‌

‌

‌

‌

A trend analysis about user experience

 

It is easy to surmise that Apple has not presented significant upgrades in physical terms across all of its product line in the past few years except tweaking the bezels from rounds to sharp edges and vice-versa. Alternatively, maybe adding Rose Gold to more device options and increasing more screen area in given sizes for iPhones, Macs and Watches. Is that all? Not to mention, the FaceID unlock function is not doing well in the Pandemic with faces covered with masks.

Therefore, it simpler to critique that Apple is excessively encashing upon the market for virtually nil new offerings. In other words, for an average household to spend money upon purchasing a new mobile or computer device, Apple is overpriced. To furnish a solution to that, it seems like Apple has designed a range of devices in their product line from the budget colorful options till the bright metal finish „PRO named“ expensive ones for acquiring maximum market share. Not an impressive case made. Right?

Wrong! Apple is named adjacent to the word „easy“ in the realm of consumer technology. Thus, its product line contested and declared undisputed as the easiest and smooth-to-use in the famous competition with Android and Windows devices. Presently, Apple is committed to intensifying its salient feature of an effortless user experience. It is plausible by updating and establishing a seamless nexus among the operating software across the different platforms (product line) —which is meager because such variety of upgrade is approaching in subtle ways that consumer tends to neglect.

Thus, this academic blog elucidates one of Apple’s design principles via assessing the latest technological trend at Apple’s and concludes a consumer-paying-approximately- $ 1,000 (approx. Price of an iPhone) worth more than just purchasing a device; they consume the seamless services designed through Apple’s ecosystem.

The logic for enhancing the user experience is vested into the prevailing technological scenario. Gone are the days when it would take three-five years for updating and upgrading a mobile device or computer hardware, the operating system they run over, and the applications across these devices. In today’s world, the frequency of change in terms of Information Technology is swift. The change factor catalyses electronic device innovation (for every different need), referred to with the prefix: smart as in smartphone, smartwatch, smart speaker, Smart printer, Smart television, et cetera. These specified devices fundamentally compute and share information and media with wireless connectivity such as WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network), Bluetooth and NFC (Near Field Connection).

In this matter, Apple proactively adapts to the change. Apple has created a virtuous ecosystem of their devices that has remained underappreciated, but it is one of the futuristic ascents in the whole consumer-technology history. From economic perspectives, iPhones encompass most of the revenue generation for the whole company, which exhibited declining trends in past years. On the contrary, Apple Services manifested rising trends that demonstrate the company is transitioning from a Product-centric to a rather Product-Service bundling company.

A digital ecosystem defines as the inter-connected group of devices aided by software functionalities, enabling the user to operate a task on one device and resume it on their second and finish as if they wish on the third device.

It all commenced with iCloud (the cloud storage and computing service by Apple). To explain, let us consider a typical Apple user who owns an iPhone and a MacBook. She can begin working upon a document on her MacBook in Pages (iWork Office application suite for document creation and editing). Twenty minutes later, she needs to leave the house, so she shuts the computer down and continues working on the document over her iPhone while commuting. It is possible because the user can store his data on one Apple device and can access it on another device via iCloud. From this basic cloud-sharing to the latest advancements like spontaneous connection-switching for AirPods between iPhone and MacBook. Furthermore, if a call rings on the iPhone while the AirPods connected to MacBook, the user can hassle-free choose to accept that call with the AirPods.

But why the ecosystem? It purely sounds like a marketing strategy that persuades people only to buy and keep buying Apple products. Nevertheless, this is the spot where the design fundamentals/guidelines come into play. From the book „Steve Jobs“ by Walter Isaacson, Apple’s principal intention is to provide a user-friendly and intuitive experience to the consumer with Apple devices. At most, the design guideline: Direct Manipulation is at its peak in Apple’s current innovations.

When people directly manipulate onscreen objects rather than using separate controls to handle them, they are more engaged with the task. Hence, users eagerly perceive the results of their actions.

Direct Manipulation operates on a higher stratum where Apple’s virtual ecosystem links the two or more devices and empowers the user to control their operation competently and engage with it.

Remarkably, the Health app’s performance combined with the Apple Watch and AirPods has the best-in-industry results. Health App provides a comprehensive understanding of user’s health. Analytics concerning Heart rate measurement: irregular heart rhythms, minutes exercised, the movement made: burned calories, standing hours, audio exposure scales, sleep cycles, menstruation cycles and accidental falls. The Apple Watch, combined with the iPhone, creates Health Records and presents them to the user to visualise a more holistic view of their well-being and allow the user to utilise it for their benefit.

Let us consider one of the many peculiarities of Apple’s Health App, „the Audio exposure level“, and the connected Apple devices and to track the environmental and headphone sound exposure. The user can connect AirPods, EarPods, and other compatible headphones to his/her iPhone. The headphone audio levels are automatically forwarded to Health App. Subsequently, the Health App will allow the user to mark an audio exposure limit; beyond that Decibel (dB), the phone will send the notification to reduce the volume above that limit and, if permitted, will automatically turn the volume down upto the limit. It also displays the exposure history mapped on an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. The exposure history acquaints the user to behave mindfully about their listening habits in terms of sound volume.

Additionally, it provides a brief narrative describing the possibility of health complications arising from high volume exposures. The choice to limit the exposure-decibels also informs the user of example sound levels provided by the World Health Organisation; namely, the library is 40-49 dB, a conversation is 60-69 dB, a noisy restaurant is 80-89 dB, a rock concert is 110-119 dB, et cetera. In this case, Apple also utilises the Apple Watch (from Series 4 onwards, released in 2018) for the Noise app. Thus, the Noise app runs an all-time detection for environmental noise levels and notifies the user–beyond the optimum noise levels–to take the situation’s reigns into hands.

To conclude, these examples have advocated Apple as the user’s brand choice for consumer electronic products, computer software, and online services. Apple concentrates on designing and enhancing the user experience in a wholesome manner and embedding integrity across all of its product offerings via improving the software capabilities. There exists enough literature on the current era to rather present with sustaining innovations than disruptive innovation. Apple thoroughly apprehends this and exploits the occasion’s full advantage by turning the only product business into a product-service bundle business with constant improvements, which drives its business towards sustaining innovations.

The design management lesson churned out from this trend analysis is to understand that the prospective consumer desires an engaging and intuitive experience from the technological products that coherently communicate with the user. This communication must form a cyclic exchange motion instead of the linear experience (user initiates input, process, output). Allowing the products to exploit their components to create an interactive user experience heightens the likelihood of being chosen by the consumers than the existing competitors in the market.

 

By: Yash Chauhan

 

 

References:

Apple Inc. (2020a). Healthcare – Apple Watch. Apple.Com. https://www.apple.com/healthcare/apple-watch/

Apple Inc. (2020b, June 22). Apple reimagines the iPhone experience with iOS 14. Apple Newsroom, Apple.Com. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/06/apple-reimagines-the-iphone-experience-with-ios-14/

Apple Inc. (2021, March 2). Apple Hearing Study shares new insights on hearing health. Apple Newsroom, Apple.Com. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/03/apple-hearing-study-shares-new-insights-on-hearing-health/

Harvard Business Review. (2015, December). What Is Disruptive Innovation? https://hbr.org/2015/12/what-is-disruptive-innovation

Isaacson, W. (2011). Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography (1st ed.). Simon & Schuster.

McElhearn, K. (2019, May 9). “It’s the ecosystem, stupid” * . The Mac Security Blog. https://www.intego.com/mac-security-blog/its-the-ecosystem-stupid/

Nield, D. (2021, March 22). A beginner’s guide to Google Fit and Apple Health . Popular Science. https://www.popsci.com/beginners-guide-google-fit-apple-health/

Photo: Netflix

It’s been about two months since I watched the documentary „The Social Dilemma” (2020) by Jeff Orlowski. The film dramatically shows how social media and the companies behind it are negatively impacting our society. There is a lot of talk about the too much power of these companies and the lack of control over what happens on the platforms. Uncontrolled data flow, algorithms with artificial intelligence that try to tie us to our screens, and many other scary topics are expressed. It’s about social networks that manipulate us. Because that’s what they were created for.

But was it worth watching the documentary? The documentary is engaging. That’s what you call it when you can hardly look away. But I ask myself: isn’t „The Social Dilemma“ an example of exactly what the documentary criticizes?
And how did it get so far that companies from Silicon Valley have an influence on social problems on an international level?

Above all, I ask myself: What is the way out?

These and many other questions have been on my mind since watching this documentary. I have read up on the evolution of Social Media, algorithms, artificial intelligence, machine learning and listened to several discussions about the topic.

Evolution Of Social Media

My first interaction with social media was with the YouTube platform. I have been a fan of the platform since I was twelve years old. When I reflect on my use of the platform, I notice that it has changed a lot. In the past, the search function was the only function I used. I searched for terms like „skateboarding“, „football“ or „Cristiano Ronaldo“. Youtube gave me new inspiration and motivation for my hobbies. It was a kind of compliment to my real life.

Today I still spend a lot of time on Youtube. I would say a large part of my knowledge is gained through Youtube. But nowadays, instead of searching for keywords that lead me to videos that interest me, I only need to open the app or the website. The homepage offers me an endless selection of videos – and what stands out? Each of the posts is on topics that interest me. Even the advertisements I receive are for products and services of which I am a potential customer.

But how did this happen? It’s best to start with the origin of the problem.

Algorithms And Machine Learning

Again and again, the documentary talks about algorithms. In very general terms, an algorithm is a set of instructions that are executed step by step to solve a task or problem.
Today, algorithms for computers are as diverse as the applications they are designed to enable. From the electronic control unit for use in the automotive area to the spelling and sentence structure check in a word processor to the analysis of stock markets, thousands of algorithms can be found. However, the algorithm is experiencing a new dimension of application in the field of data mining. Thanks to the increased number of collected data and the increased computing power, large amounts of data can be searched and evaluated for patterns and correlations with the help of algorithms. Data mining is an analytical process that uses computer-aided methods to identify interesting data patterns within large data sets as autonomously and efficiently as possible. The algorithms used come from statistics, artificial intelligence, or machine learning.

How Algorithms Influence Social Media

Algorithms can become dangerously efficient and precise when they are supplemented by artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence means that algorithms are constantly being adapted to do the job better and better. The problem with this technology for social media is this. As confirmed by ex-Google Tech Lead Patrick Shyu, the goal of the software developers at Facebook, Twitter, and co. is to generate as much profit as possible for the company. They do this by creating algorithms that are programmed to keep users on the platform as long as possible. Through artificial intelligence, the algorithms have learned to pick people up on an emotional level and keep them coming back. The algorithms have found that shocking news and controversial topics in particular keep people coming back to the apps. We all witnessed it during the Black Lives Matter riots.

A statistic from Brandwatch shows that for about 53% of the 3.725 billion social media users, the main source of news is social media. Unlike official news, posts on social media are unfiltered and can be published by private individuals, associations, or even sects. This leads to fake news and conspiracy theories spreading at an alarming rate.

It sounds seemingly paradoxical because it is precisely the experience of a threat, such as the corona pandemic, that brings security to the adherents of these conjectures and ideologies: conspiracy theories provide the opportunity to relieve the psychological pressure that the threat creates. People want to know who the ‚enemy‘ is and can then dissipate the tension in counter-strategies. Inner-psychic conflicts that are not bearable or integrable for individuals are shifted to the outside world and can thus be more easily endured. Moreover, ideologies offer the possibility to experience oneself as part of a larger group or even to form it.

„The pandemic holds many uncertainties. Conspiracy theories make us think we have answers, and we like to cling to them.“ – Marko Kovic

For me, one thing is clear: social media has too much influence on society. It manipulates our buying behavior, our beliefs, and our political attitudes. However, for me to venture into a solution, it is important not only to point out the negative aspects of social media.

The positive influence of Socia Media

Parallel to the movement of conspiracy theories and propaganda, another movement has caught my eye. The trend around sustainability and veganism.

For their annual report, Brandwatch observed various social media platforms such as Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram and examined their most popular influencers and their dominant terms and topics. It was found that the topic of veganism was covered by 54 percent of food influencers on Twitter, while only 24 percent wrote tweets about gluten-free products, and 22 percent of influencers discussed vegetarian diets. Also on the Instagram platform, approximately 64 million new posts and postings with the hashtag #vegan were recorded.

This trend can be linked to shocking documentaries that show the consequences of our industries on the environment and encourage a fundamental change in our consumption behavior. Among others, David Attenborough has left his message to humanity with his latest and also last documentary film „David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet“. The film shows spectacular images of nature and contrasts them with the destruction of the environment by humans. Nature filmmaker Attenborough warns of the changes.

The film pieces „Cowspiracy“ (2014), „What The Health“ and „Seaspiracy“, both produced by the now world-famous Kip Andersen, also made a big wave. In all films, previously unknown insights are shown through industry-specific research. The impact of these projects has been significant.

Environmental awareness and sustainability are increasingly advancing from an individual lifestyle and consumer trend to a social movement – and to a central economic factor that influences all corporate spheres. Consumers and employees are establishing new logic and value systems. „environment“ in the broadest sense are becoming the basis of a new global identity. The megatrend is redefining the values of global society, everyday culture, and the economy. This change could only reach this extent through social media.

In Which Areas Do Social Media Need To Develop?

In recent years, we have created a social media environment that is no longer as social as it once was, due to the misinterpretation by companies and people of the proper use of social media.
After years – or decades if we include offline communication – of unsegmented mass communication, we need to start paying more attention to the word „social“ in social media.

As a counter-development to mass communication, social media must be about building personal connections, real relationships, and bridges from one person to another. Instead of building large, undifferentiated communities, a much more personal approach will be needed to build a sustainable presence in the social media world of the future.

How this complex issue can be solved by design and what these solutions look like is certainly the topic that has made me think the most lately. And I feel an inner motivation to continue to pursue this topic. To get closer to a solution much more is required than just desk research. That is why I have decided to continue to pursue this topic in the future.

References

Dieter Petereit (n.d.) published 12.09.2020, from          https://t3n.de/news/social-dilemma-netflix-doku-1321291/

TechLead Show (n.d.) published 27.09.2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVBQgx4_x34

ISPO.com (n.d.) published 24.02.2016, from https://www.ispo.com/knowhow/id_77078324/was-verbirgt-sich-eigentlich-hinter-dem-umwelttrend-upcycling-.html

Dr. Claudia Lampert (n.d.) published 02.2015, from https://bildungsthemen.phorms.de/de/top-themen/generation-selfie/faszination-social-media/

Max Gorynski (n.d.) published 04.10.2020, from            https://medium.com/wonk-bridge/the-unintentional-comedy-a-commentary-on-the-social-dilemma-cf5c7655d071

Brandwatch (n.d.) published 02.01.2020, from https://www.brandwatch.com/de/blog/interessante-social-media-zahlen-und-statistiken/

Weischer Media (n.d.) published 2019, from https://weischer.media/de/de/trends-und-innovationen/blickwinkel/digital-news-report-2019-social-media-als-nachrichtenquellen/

Universität Leipzig (n.d.) published 30.04.2020, from                              https://www.l-iz.de/melder/wortmelder/2020/04/Alles-Verschwoerung-Warum-Verschwoerungstheorien-gerade-in-Krisenzeiten-florieren-328643

Brandwatch (n.d.) published 16.02.2018, from https://www.brandwatch.com/de/blog/plantbased-eine-analyse-der-vegan-online-communities-und-gespraeche/

How to maintain a freelance-study-life balance

Photo: Nik, Unsplash

We spend our lives engaged in our studies or education, work, and private life. Especially in today’s digital age, we can work conveniently from anywhere. Although most students are overwhelmed with academic and personal responsibilities, more and more students are looking to become freelancers from the comfort of their own homes to earn money alongside their studies. However, this also creates difficulties for us to take time for ourselves if we do not schedule and organize ourselves and our time.

Why would you choose to work while studying?

While many of us feel more secure to first study and later get a good job, some people (like me) find themselves successfully managing to maintain a job and balance their academic education. Indeed, the ability to combine study and work does inevitably have its price, such as the physical and mental efforts required.

However, when managed properly there are a lot of benefits that can be gained during the process:

All qualities, skills, and qualifications, such as good communication, problem-solving, adaptability, independence, planning ability, and work ethic, combined with design-thinking are fostered during this process. Because as you are on your own, you will quickly learn to organize yourself to get all the activities done on time. Recognizing the importance of these qualities first and working on them before entering the professional world after your education, sets a great milestone and prepares you for your career. Besides, there is nothing that matures a character the way responsibility does, given that students need to have time management skills by learning to plan their time and prioritize tasks while working alongside their studies. 

Moreover, a sense of responsibility increases for students who work in a freelance position, as the next steps after completing a job depend on how well you have performed – receiving new contracts, generating income, being referred to other clients, thus gaining a sense of satisfaction and motivation. As a result, the student is placed with the responsibility to perform successfully on their terms.

Working in a similar sector while in school prepares you for jobs after graduation and can help you make a name for yourself.

I first started freelancing in July 2020 and by now I was able to bring several clients on board and hence start my agency, as some of them already knew my name. Therefore, freelancing, in particular, allows you to benefit from networking with a variety of clients, which sets you up well for an independent future.

Now! How can you balance studying and working so that you can still enjoy your private life? Fortunately, I have first-hand experience in knowing several ways to attain a work-life balance and sustain good health while enjoying life.

Physically separate work and living areas

The first and most important step before you start your day’s work or lectures is to choose and organize your proper workspace. When organizing your workspace, think about how you want to use it and what you want to use it for; working in one regulated place is more productive than working in random places. Define your space by needs strictly for your work only, so you can better unwind in other areas of your home. Although the idea of working from the bed or the couch sounds splendid (and sometimes I wish I could do that too), it actually will negatively affect your level of productivity and overall balance, given our tendency to associate certain spaces with certain tasks. So be careful to physically separate your work and living areas. Thus, making your brain associate the office area with work and productivity.

Start your day off with a clean working space

Given that the first hours of the workday can have a significant impact on your productivity levels, adjusting the morning routine for organizational time is essential. Offering a better start to each day by ensuring that your workspace is both organized and clean goes a long way to achieving better results, saving you time for yourself at the end of the day.

Follow with creating a to-do list

Starting from physical points, a mental organization can also help you save more time in a day. Consequently, make sure you create a to-do list in the morning when you arrive at your workplace. As a result, it will help you stay focused during the day and know what exactly needs to be accomplished throughout that day, keeping you from wasting time looking for university or project deadlines.

Setting boundaries and regular working hours

One of the most important prerequisites is to make sure to set clear boundaries for yourself and stick to them so that your job does not spill over and eat up the rest of your life, thus academic tasks falling short. As mentioned above, we live in a mobile-friendly world and with various electronic devices and the fact that we can work from anywhere at any time, it often feels like we are working more than usual as we struggle to find a balance.

Particularly for those who choose to have their workplace at home and thus have the freedom to work whenever they want, it is nevertheless important to set boundaries by maintaining consistent working hours. After all, working for a steady time each day helps give your day a routine and structure, while ensuring that clients have firm boundaries when it comes to communication and deadlines. Defining boundaries and regular working hours helps you to switch off to relax.

For myself, I found it difficult to keep track of my work hours and be aware of my breaks, so I preferred to use the Pomodoro Technique or Pomodoro YouTube videos to track my time. Watching videos of other people studying or working helped me stay focused and also make time for breaks.

Use your breaks efficiently 

While you are waiting for the teacher to start the lecture, as well as during the break between lectures, you can take your time (five minutes is enough) to already create to-do lists for your next work assignment. During this time, you may have already picked up some ideas and inspirations, which you may note down. It saves you time after your lectures, so you can start working directly and efficiently.

Take some time for yourself and celebrate successes

As previously mentioned, you are responsible to set your boundaries and regular working hours to make sure they are adhered to. You may have an understanding boss but will still find yourself in a situation where you feel uncomfortable declining an assignment. However, in that case, you should remind yourself and others that taking a break from work and time for yourself will benefit all parties – it allows you to charge your battery to handle more pressure. The time you take for yourself should also be used to celebrate your successes (small or big) from previous assignments with your family, friends or acquaintances, to reinforce your motivation.

Every task you achieve, be it small or big, will take you one step closer to your goal.

If you set your expectations too high, there is a greater chance that you will quickly be disappointed with your performance.

Lastly…

Regardless of what situation you are in, trust yourself enough and remember that you can successfully balance work and education.

It also relates to letting go of negative thoughts about yourself or self-criticism after you have made a mistake during your process. Making mistakes and learning from them is part of your professional and personal growth, which also relates to the point that you can only continue to learn by allowing mistakes to happen.

Each of us is better at specific things and worse at others; therefore, occasionally you may make more mistakes than usual. Having said that, you already have an idea of those specific things, but trusting yourself means that you can try to solve all kinds of assignments without being too hard on yourself.

Therefore, try to be confident about yourself and your abilities in your professional area. Because at the end of the day you will always be able to somehow manage your obligations by also asking your family, friends, classmates, or even teachers for help regarding your academic or professional assignments.

Written by Isidora Ceculovic

Sources:
https://www.idealist.org/grad-schools/blog/working-full-time-studying-full-time

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/08/23/16-things-you-should-do-at-the-start-of-every-work-day/?sh=13b1823a7309

https://sendtask.io/blog/why-you-should-have-a-to-do-list/

https://www.czechuniversities.com/article/how-to-maintain-a-work-study-life-balance-2

If it has not already been the case, chances are that you will experience direct or indirect contact with Artificial Intelligence when applying for a job. The implementation of Artificial Intelligence is rising, McKinsey’s Global Institute model forecasts that, by 2030, about 70% of companies will adopt at least one form of AI (Bughin et al., 2018).

Companies’ automated systems analyze our digital data and use them in their research of prospective employees. Artificial Intelligence already assist the Human Resources department of many companies such as Unilever and Google in the recruitment process.

Let’s take a look at how AI is used in recruitment and how it functions in order to become a master in writing your application to get picked by the algorithm.

What is AI?

AI, standing for Artificial Intelligence, refers to a machine such as a computer or a robot having the ability to perform any human intelligence. In other words, it is a machine capable of mimicking the faculties of the human mind such as learning, understanding language, or making decisions. (IBM, 2020)

The use of such machines has been made possible thanks to digitalization and the large collection of data. Data from our internet research, social media, and anything connected are collected, stored, and analyzed by companies that use your information to evaluate whether you would be a valuable hire for them or not.

AI in recruitment

Since time is money, the use of Artificial Intelligence in the recruitment process is mainly economically profitable for the companies, and here is why.

The recruitment of a new hire is time-consuming and costly. According to Glassdoor, the average cost per hire is $4,000 in the US and employers spend on average 24 days to hire a new worker (Glassdoor Team, 2019). For the Australian National University, from the planning and preparation to the acceptance of the offer, it takes 11 weeks to recruit a new employee. Regarding the cost of a poor hiring decision, the ANU elevates it to almost $28,000, which includes for example the advertising, administrative, and training costs. (Australian National University, n.d.)

Contrary to popular belief, Artificial Intelligence does not aim to replace humans but to support Human Resources. The result is even the opposite of dehumanization since it enables recruiters not to spend precious time on repetitive tasks but to focus on interviewing and selecting the right candidates. Another benefit of AI is its ability to provide rapid answers to the applicants. Few can pretend to have received an answer to all of their job applications. It is understandable when we know that Google receives over 8,000 applications per day (Popomaronis, 2019). Therefore, by generating positive or negative responses, AI not only profits the applicants but also the companies because it enables them to not tarnish their image.

To define whether a candidate would be the right fit for a position or not, companies use matching tools. Matching tools analyze a great deal of data such as CVs, social media, open-source activities, or job boards and provide a recommendation of the candidates who would fit best in the required position.

The main areas in which companies use AI in the recruitment process and where you might be in direct or indirect contact with it are candidate sourcing, pre-selection, gaming, and conducting interviews.

Candidate sourcing

In a recruitment context, sourcing designates the research of qualified candidates for open positions. Sourcers or sourcing tools identify both passive candidates, who are not actively looking for a job, and active job seekers. Potential candidates can be detected using different approaches such as analyzing online presence on social media and public data, searching profiles on job boards, examine CVs, or study their internet searches. The data collected are compared to the job description to select interesting candidates. This process aims to collect information on sourced candidates such as name, qualifications, and contact information. An AI-powered sourcing software can also combine all the information people share online and compare them to the profiles of employees already working within the company. The goal is to identify candidates with similar personalities and skills to target the job advert at them (Lee, 2018).

Yatedo, an AI-based candidate search engine, allows recruiters to search profiles that correspond to their criteria. By analyzing their presence on social media, press articles, blog activities, online forums, MOOCS participation, etc. Yatedo provides a sort of business card of the candidates and is capable of detecting if they are “ready to move” and determining their degree of work commitment. (Certes, 2018)

Golden Bees is another example of a sourcing solution that uses the candidates‘ cookies to identify their profession, level of competence, interests, or even their localization to target job advertising (Apec, 2020). It is particularly useful for certain types of profiles that are not necessarily on job boards or social media such as butcher, cheesemaker, or concierge (ManpowerGroup, 2016).

Pre-selection

The pre-selection phase of the recruitment process consists of the first filtering of applicants. The goal is to identify and eliminate profiles that do not meet the job requirements. The decision is mainly based on CVs, covering letters or videos the recruiter receives. Considering the number of applications companies have to process, the use of an AI-powered Applicant Tracking System (ATS) can be a considerable time and money saver. An Applicant Tracking System scans CVs and cover letters and looks for keywords and qualifications to compare them with the job requirements. The ATS selects the applications that match the job description best and forwards the successful ones to the recruiter. This means that if the ATS did not pick your application, it might never be seen by a real person. Providers of automated preselection software claim that it avoids biased decisions since it calculates the chances of success for a particular position based on predictive analytics and not on a person’s intuition. (Lee, 2018)

Gaming

“Hire soft skills, train hard skills” is the new hiring trend. An increasing number of companies such as Google consider that recruiting based on hard skills (education, grades, work experience, etc.) is out-of-date (R., 2020). The results of a survey conducted among over 5,000 talent professionals by LinkedIn confirm this claim by showing that 92% state that soft skills matter as much or more than hard skills (Chanler et al., 2019). It is essential for the team dynamic that the new hires assent to the company’s values and culture and recruiters argue that hard skills can always be trained, but they cannot change the mindset of their employees.

Companies might use gaming tools to assess the candidates’ soft skills. Pymetrics, for example, evaluates a person’s fit for a job through machine learning, algorithm, and cognitive science-based games. This innovative hiring tool uses neuroscience data and AI to assess the candidates based on their inherent cognitive and emotional make-up (Business Wire, 2018). Pymetrics’ 30 minutes interactive games measure the emotional and behavioral attributes of the job seekers to determine which position would suit them best. In the end, the talent matching platform provides a personalized report to each job applicant. Here is a video where you can see an example of a test by Pymetrics to get prepared.

Conducting interviews

Less common tools used to assess a candidate’s soft skills are chatbots. A chatbot is a software application powered by AI that converses via text, text-to-speech, or through voice commands with a human. By taking into account different aspects of verbal and non-verbal communication (facial expression and gesture, semantic, rhythm and rate of speech, lexical diversity, etc.) chatbots promise to analyze soft skills such as personality, motivation, open-mindedness, creativity, adaptability, and curiosity. Such tools can be used to either interview candidates or to analyze their CV videos. The AI-based software technology Vera has already been adopted by more than 300 companies such as Ikea, L’Oréal, and PepsiCo. (Apec, 2020)

Vera is connected to five job boards including Career Builder, Superjob, and Avito. The robot scans online resumés and cover letters and compares them to the job description provided by the recruiter to identify qualified candidates. Then, Vera calls the selected individuals and sets up a video interview where she uses speech recognition to ask and answer questions. Afterward, Vera communicates the successful candidates to the recruiter for the final decision. (Umoh, 2018)

How can you beat the algorithm?

The most important thing to do, not only when looking for a job but in general, is to be careful with the digital footprint you leave on the web. Everything you do digitally leaves a trace and can be found and analyzed, hence you need to make sure that what can be found works in your favor. As mentioned before, AI gathers the information about you from your internet research, social media, posts, localization, online presence, etc., therefore, those data must correspond to what you wrote in your application. Additionally, creating accounts and uploading your CV and cover letter on job boards increases your chances of being matched with a company for an available position.

Application

When writing your CV and cover letter, there are some aspects of the content and layout you can enhance to make your application AI-friendly. (Clift, 2020)

Content

• • If you know people who are already working for the company, ask for their CVs and cover letters for inspiration because they will probably be compared to yours.
  • Study the company’s culture and values to ensure that the keywords you choose align with them.
  • Use similar language and keywords as the job description. Keywords are particularly important when describing your skills.
  • According to the 2019 Global Talent Trends, the soft skills in high demand are creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability, and time management.
  • Keep in mind that it is not a human who will first read your CV, so do not use acronyms that AI cannot recognize for example.

Layout

• • Use bullet points when possible, particularly for your skills and keywords.
  • Use standard headings because ATS uses them to navigate through your CV.
  • According to Pamela Skillings, the software sorts the content of your CV into 4 categories: education, contact information, skills, and work experience.
  • Keep it simple, the ATS will not pay attention to the fanciness of your layout, so avoid pictograms or logos because they will not be identified by the machine.
  • Choose a professional and common font.

Virtual interview

Concerning the virtual interview, you can also prepare yourself in terms of what you will say and your setting. (Locker, 2018)

Conversation

• • Similar to other interviews, research about the company’s values, and try to find what they are looking for in the position you are applying to.
  • As for your CV and cover letter, remember that AI focuses on keywords so make sure to use words that tally with the job description.
  • Stay calm and be yourself because AI analyzes your facial expressions and is trained to recognize if you are sarcastic or stressed.
  • Speak clearly and naturally as you would do with a real person.
  • Be expressive and activate your face muscles (always in a natural way).
  • Make sure that your eyes stay on the camera because AI detects eye contact.
  • Practice your interview with a friend on a digital platform like Zoom or FaceTime.

Setting

• • Make sure to have an adequate microphone.
  • Position yourself in front of a blank background.
  • If possible, stand in front of natural light since electronic devices poorly capture artificial light.

I wish you good luck in your job research!

Nora J.

References

Apec. (2020, October 26). Etat des lieux et prospective : l’IA dans le recrutement. Apec.fr. https://corporate.apec.fr/home/nos-etudes/toutes-nos-etudes/etat-des-lieux-et-prospective–l.html

Australian National University. (n.d.). Recruitment timelines & costs – Staff Services – ANU. Services.anu.edu.au. https://services.anu.edu.au/human-resources/recruit/planning/recruitment-timelines-costs

Bughin, J., Seong, J., Manyika, J., Chui, M., & Joshi, R. (2018). Notes from the AI frontier: Modeling the impact of AI on the world economy. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/artificial-intelligence/notes-from-the-ai-frontier-modeling-the-impact-of-ai-on-the-world-economy

Business Wire. (2018, June 21). pymetrics Awarded as Technology Pioneer by World Economic Forum. Www.businesswire.com. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180621005278/en/pymetrics-Awarded-as-Technology-Pioneer-by-World-Economic-Forum

Certes, N. (2018, February 20). Yatedo améliore son moteur de recherche RH avec Microsoft – Le Monde Informatique. LeMondeInformatique. https://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/actualites/lire-yatedo-ameliore-son-moteur-de-recherche-rh-avec-microsoft-70936.html

Chanler, M., Dye, C., Coppinger, C., Nieh, G., Maris, T., Keyser, B., McGrill, K., Lewis, G., Reilly, K., Smith, J., & Ignatova, M. (2019). Global Talent Trends. https://business.linkedin.com/content/dam/me/business/en-us/talent-solutions/resources/pdfs/global-talent-trends-2019.pdf

Cheng, E. (2018, September 5). A.I. could spur global growth as much as the steam engine did, study shows. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/05/artificial-intelligence-ai-could-spur-global-growth-study-shows.html

Clift, J. (2020, October 21). How to Beat an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) with a 100% Pass Rate. Www.visualcv.com. https://www.visualcv.com/blog/how-to-beat-the-applicant-tracking-system/

Glassdoor Team. (2019, July 5). How To Calculate Cost-Per-Hire (CPH). US | Glassdoor for Employers. https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/blog/calculate-cost-per-hire/

IBM. (2020, June 3). What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Www.ibm.com. https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/what-is-artificial-intelligence

Komilova, N. (2021, March 20). Pymetrics Test. Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBAZwWCJa_Q&t=440s

Lee, E. (2018, May 21). The impact of AI on recruitment. AIHR Digital. https://www.digitalhrtech.com/impact-ai-recruitment/

Locker, M. (2018, October 17). How to Trick the AI Into Hiring You When You Apply for a Job. Www.vice.com. https://www.vice.com/en/article/pa94pn/robot-job-interview

ManpowerGroup. (2016, February 19). “Mettre la publicité intelligente au service du recrutement” : la solution Golden Bees. ManpowerGroup. https://www.manpowergroup.fr/publicite-intelligente-recrutement-golden-bees/

Murray, M. (2018, December 6). The robot will see you now: could AI streamline the recruitment process? The Irish Times. https://www.irishtimes.com/special-reports/artificial-intelligence/the-robot-will-see-you-now-could-ai-streamline-the-recruitment-process-1.3718417

Popomaronis, T. (2019, April 17). Here’s how many Google interviews it takes to hire a Googler. CNBC; CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/17/heres-how-many-google-job-interviews-it-takes-to-hire-a-googler.html

pymetrics. (2020, April 6). What is pymetrics? (Official Video). Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RSuwNbheGQ

R., C. (2020, March 17). What AI is and what it means for the recruitment process. Www.retorio.com. https://www.retorio.com/blog/what-ai-is-and-what-it-means-for-the-recruitment-process

Skillings, P. (2015, March 1). How to Get the Applicant Tracking System to Pick You. Big Interview. https://biginterview.com/blog/2015/03/applicant-tracking-system.html

Umoh, R. (2018, April 20). Meet the robot that’s hiring humans for some of the world’s biggest corporations. CNBC; CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/20/this-robot-hires-humans-for-some-major-corporations.html

Have you ever wondered if a bike-sharing subscription is worth it? The following blog post weights not only the benefits and disadvantages for you as an individual user but also for cities, the environment, and society. To make it more concrete, I chose for the analysis the Swiss Provider PubliBike. So, let’s first examine who this company is.

Who is PubliBike?

PubliBike is one of nine bike-sharing providers in Switzerland, which is offered in eight cities (Anbieterinnen, n.d.). This includes, for example, Zurich, Lausanne, or Bern. To use the service, a smartphone and a registration via the PubliBike app or website is necessary. The company’s app (or the SwissPass) is the key to unlock bikes, which are placed at popular spots in the city. The user can decide between a “normal” bike or an e-bike. After use, it can be placed at any of the PubliBike’s locations – that’s what’s called a one-way-sharing service (Auf der Maur et al., 2019).

Why do we need bike-sharing services?

From the perspective of individuals

Due to the strongly automated service, PubliBike isn’t bound to opening hours (Strösslin, 2017). Let’s have a look at the following scenario post- or pre-corona: While dancing to your favorite song in the club, you realize that you missed the last train to go home. There are two options if you live in one of the bigger cities in Switzerland. Either you call a cab, or you look for the closest PubliBike station to your current location and you burn the calories you have just ingested from your drink. This example presents the freedom and spontaneity that is offered to the users 24/7 for 365 days.

Another positive factor the example above points out is the health benefit the service includes. We all know that riding a bike is healthier than driving a car because of physical movement. But what about accident statistics? Is driving a bicycle less dangerous than driving a car? In total, more people in Switzerland die in a car accident than in a bike accident (Strassenverkehrsunfälle, n.d.). However, the mortality risk per distance traveled on a bike is higher (Verkehrsunfälle, n.d.). Nevertheless, a study of BMJ (British Medical Journal) evaluated the health risks and benefits of bike-sharing compared with car use. They concluded that through physical activity 75 times more deaths can be prevented (Rojas-Rueda et al., 2011). Another factor that would certainly reduce the number of deadly accidents is if PubliBike would offer helmets. A study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology revealed that 65% of fatal head injuries can be reduced by wearing helmets (Olivier & Creighton, 2016).

From the perspective of the cities:

Cities with a bike-sharing system have an attractive future-proof, diverse mobility offer for its citizen and tourists. Additionally, in cities with overloaded public transportation, bike-sharing can relieve public transportation. Or also vice versa, in cities with a poor public transportation network, bike-sharing can simplify mobility (Strösslin, 2017). Furthermore, cities hope to curb motorized individual traffic with the service. This brings us to the third sphere – the environment.

From the perspective of the environment:

Did you know that 38% of the energy consumption in Switzerland is used for mobility? “Furthermore, traffic is responsible for almost one third of our CO2 emissions” (Mobilität, n.d.). We, therefore, need a quick rethinking in this area. To lower the energy consumption and CO2 emission in mobility, we need to reduce the motorized individual traffic and shift to public transportation and bicycles. Individual traffic means, for example, the car, which is often owned by only one person or a small group. For this type of traffic, the user decides independently on the place and time of use (Von Stackelberg, n.d.). Can bike-sharing thus make a successful and sustainable contribution to the problem?

First of all, the sharing concept reduces resource consumption. Having a bike-sharing service in your town means you no longer need to own your own bicycle. Nevertheless, this is a matter of scale (Strösslin, 2017). A saving of resources can only be achieved if every inhabitant gives up his or her vehicle instead and doesn’t use the service only for optimizing his or her mobility.

What also shouldn’t be forgotten is that PubliBike offers, like many other providers, e-bikes. They are equipped with a lithium-ion battery – a very controversial topic. The issue is especially the mining of lithium, cobalt, and nickel, which are all components of the battery. Besides the leakages of toxic substances and great energy and water costs, often child labour is involved in mining. Another problem is that the recycling of lithium-ion batteries is still in its infancy. In the process, the valuable raw material lithium gets lost (Schmitt, 2020). However, it’s still up to the user if he or she uses an e-bike or a “normal” one.

The downside of PubliBike 

Besides the battery, where science is simply not ready for alternatives, and the safety, which can be improved with the offer of a helmet, the whole bike-sharing concept sounds all well and good, but there are also flaws.

Deep dig into the pockets

For a lot of factors, we have examined from the perspective of the cities and the environment, it’s a question of scale. There will be only relief of public transportation if many people use PubliBike. Resources can only be saved if many do no longer own their own vehicle. And the CO2 emissions can only be reduced if many people take the bike instead of the car.

It’s therefore crucial that the service PubliBike is accessible to all social classes. The cheapest subscription of PubliBike is 108 CHF per year. The first 30 minutes per ride with a “normal” bike are 1 CHF and every additional minute is 0.10 CHF (Abos, n.d.). Compared to the provider City Bike in Vienna, this is rather expensive (with consideration of the purchasing power) (Auf der Maur et al., 2019). In Vienna, City Bike provides the first hour for free and charges 1 Euro for the second, 2 Euros for the third, 4 Euros for the fourth, and 4 Euros for every additional hour (Tarife, n.d.). City Bike makes it thus possible for economically weaker people to use the service. Something that can’t be said about PubliBike.

Mishaps again and again

Even though Bikes from PubliBike are every day and night provided, it doesn’t mean that they are always accessible. If you are already an owner of a PubliBike subscription, you are probably familiar with the following scenario: You want to move from one point in the city to another in a short time. That you don’t have to switch between different means of public transport and lose time, you take a Publibike. Unfortunately, the lock of the bike doesn’t open. You have to try again and again with different bikes. In the past years, PubliBike has been in the headlines more than once due to such technical issues.

Space that belongs to all 

The company PubiBike has to deal with conflicts of interest. Space, for example, is a scarce resource and many parties are interested in it. PubliBike needs well-developed cycle routes and also room for parking spaces. This is connected with an intervention in the public space. Interest groups such as private individuals, on the other hand, want the cityscape to be preserved (Strösslin, 2017). Even though PubliBike’s concept is a one-way-sharing and not a free-floating system, where users can park the bikes wherever they want, a preserved cityscape isn’t always given. Again and again, the company has to cope with vandalism, where people break bikes and dump them somewhere they don’t belong. Another issue the company is dealing with is that there are locations that are popular for returning bikes. This phenomenon can be observed, for example, in the hot months at the shore of the Aare in Bern. People are taking the bike upstream and are swimming their way back. You don’t see the problem yet? Only a few are picking up bikes from this place and thus, a huge gathering of vehicles happens. Bikes are parked on the walkway and pedestrians have to dodge (Publibike, 2019). 

What now? 

To take up the initial question of whether the service is a curse or blessing, it can be said that the idea is beneficial for the spheres I looked at (individual user, cities, and environment).

You as an individual are spontaneous and it’s beneficial for your health, it makes cities attractive, and it’s beneficial for the environment if we all stop using the car and do without our own vehicle.

Furthermore, most flaws we detected of the service can be overcome by PubliBike – it’s just a question of time. To improve safety, the company could rent helmets with each bike. To reduce conflicts of interest about the cityscape, more frequent redistributions of bikes by the company is necessary.

Let’s move on to the improvements that can be implemented less quickly. PubliBike certainly needs to improve the technology behind the service so that customers always have a smooth use. To make the service accessible for everyone, the prices must come down. However, PubliBike is writing red numbers and is in some regions already dependent on financial support (Sparkurs, 2019; Wer finanziert, n.d.). As the company is not self-financing, a public funding from the cities is currently subject of political discussions. But maybe there are other ways, like generating more income through advertising on bikes.

And, last but not least, we have the issue of the e-bike battery, where the technology first has to make progress to find sustainable alternatives.

After mastering all these hurdles, I am sure that PubliBike is offering a sustainable and social solution and is changing the way we move.

Will you soon be a PubliBike subscriber? Let me know in the comments.

Author: Jeanne Streit

Sources

Abos. (n.d.). Retrieved April 04, 2021, from https://www.publibike.ch/de/publibike/pricing

Anbieterinnen in der Schweiz. (n.d.). Retrieved April 04, 2021, from https://www.bikesharing.ch/de/bikesharing/anbieterinnen-in-der-schweiz/

Auf der Maur et al. (2019): Shared Mobility Kollaborative Mobilitätsservices europäischer Städte im Vergleich, Winterthur

Mobilität und Verkehr in der Schweiz. (n.d.). Retrieved April 04, 2021, from https://www.energieschweiz.ch/mobilitaet/

Olivier, J., & Creighton, P. (2016). Bicycle injuries and helmet use: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Retrieved April 04, 2021, from https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/46/1/278/2617198?login=true

Publibike Stadt Bern – wenn plötzlich alle den „berner Triathlon“ machen wollen. (2019). Retrieved April 04, 2021, from https://www.srf.ch/news/regional/bern-freiburg-wallis/publibike-stadt-bern-wenn-ploetzlich-alle-den-berner-triathlon-machen-wollen

Rojas-Rueda et al. (2011). The health risks and benefits of cycling in urban environments compared with car use: Health impact assessment study. Retrieved April 04, 2021, from https://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d4521

Schmitt, M. (2020, March 03). Bike Akkus – Herstellung, Lebensdauer und Umweltverträglichkeit: E-Mountainbike Magazine. Retrieved April 06, 2021, from https://ebike-mtb.com/e-bike-umwelt/

Sparkurs wegen Roter zahlen. (2019). Retrieved April 04, 2021, from https://www.srf.ch/news/wirtschaft/sparkurs-wegen-roter-zahlen-publibike-expandiert-nicht-nach-genf-und-chur

Strassenverkehrsunfälle. (n.d.). Retrieved April 04, 2021, from https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/mobilitaet-verkehr/unfaelle-umweltauswirkungen/verkehrsunfaelle/strassenverkehr.html

Strösslin, T. (2017). Erfolgsfaktoren für nachhaltige Bike-Sharing Angebote in der Schweiz. Universität Bern

Tarife. (n.d.). Retrieved April 04, 2021, from https://citybikewien.at/de/tarife

Verkehrsunfälle. (n.d.). Retrieved April 04, 2021, from https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/mobilitaet-verkehr/unfaelle-umweltauswirkungen/verkehrsunfaelle.html

Von Stackelberg, F. (n.d.). Definition: Individualverkehr. Retrieved April 04, 2021, from https://wirtschaftslexikon.gabler.de/definition/individualverkehr-36761

Wer finanziert die Publibike AG? (n.d.). Retrieved April 04, 2021, from https://www.parlament.ch/de/ratsbetrieb/suche-curia-vista/geschaeft?AffairId=20183723