What stood out to me the most is the idea that society is dematerializing. When I think of today’s society currently, I think we are the most materialistic we could possibly be. From what I see we seem to value items and object more than anything. However, according to El Lissitzky’s manifesto, it turns out that we are dematerializing.

In Lissitzky’s manifesto it states, “Present indications are that this basic invention can be expected from the neighboring field of collotype. This process involves a machine that transfers the composed type-matter onto a film, and a printing machine that copies the negative onto sensitive paper. Thus the enormous weight of type and the bucket of ink disappear, and so here again we also have dematerialization.” What this example is explaining is how one task that used to take multiple steps and objects has now lessened due to society evolving, and new technology forming that removes an extra step. A modern day example would be like 2 in 1 shampoo where instead of two different bottles, one shampoo and one conditioner, now you have one bottle that contains both. This idea related to an early statement made in the same manifesto, “The amount of material used is decreasing, we are dematerializing, cumbersome masses of material are being supplanted by release energies.”

This idea of dematerializing reminds me about a part of the reading from Assignment 1b. How it was discussed that designers are now prosumers. This term means that they are both producer and consumer. This makes another 2 in 1 scenario where society seems to be trying to make things easier for themselves and lessen the steps of any task possible. In the case of this week’s reading, using advancements in technology to simplify every day task by dematerializing the old routine.