Critical Objects: A Humorous Device Proposal

created with Kalinda Panholzer @ kalinda.me

The Topic is Online Protest

the Device is Humor

The Attribute is Cheeky

The Mood is Playful

The device is a toy megaphone refitted to allow the user to protest simultaneously across platforms for maximum 'impact'. In reality, the buttons used to protest spit out very bland milk-toast versions of actual commentary that have very little (aka no) impact aside from adding to the noise online. You get to show that you care with little to no effort and everyone gets to see how morally righteous you are to drive engagement- it's a win win!

Project name (InProgress): AmplifyMe!

Important Design Considerations:

The toy will feature buttons that can be 'hacked' to perform different functions. Packaging will be designed to make the product feel authentic, promoting ease of use with playful slogans such as "Share your opinion and don't get banned!", "Speak your mind, respectfully!", "Feel free to speak your opinion—but maybe not too freely!", and "Integrates with your Bluesky, X, and Threads for ease of posting."

For social media integration, we need to research available API posting options. The toy will include different protest buttons, each labeled and mapped to specific functions, as well as a possible dial or knob to switch between platforms and a volume button for added interactivity. The concept involves using three megaphone toys.

Megaphone toy design concept

Parts inventory includes:

Notes

Project development notes and sketches