System Map

There are different kinds of platform in social commerce, including ig, fb, yt, TikTok.

First way of selling within is through Social media marketing, the second way is live -streaming shopping. The orange text is the algorithms being used in each stage of live streaming,. In the beginning different room of live-streaming is recommended to consumer through behavioural data analysis for example. 

In the room , these tools are being used to enhance user experience , For example ,real time chat box creates the smooth and fast respond for questions .  that causes implusive shopping behaviour.

Feed personalisation is optimised, causing consumer likely to reparticipate again.

When we go back and take a look at social media marketing, we see that consumer is being trapped through engaging and  highly targeted entertaining content. And then algorithms promote personalised stoppable post, stories , live streaming room to users.

So from the research and system map, we noticed that two points:

- Algorithms on social media recommend engaging and highly targeted entertainment content, trapping users within the platform. 

- Algorithms promote personalized recommendations, including shoppable posts, stories, live streams, and AR experiences, encouraging users to make unstopped purchases.

Intervention Point: Virtual Streamer

A study found that virtual influencers are now so realistic that people can barely tell them from real humans on social media.

For companies, they hold huge potential—not only reducing human errors but also cutting costs by 70%. And also promote their products and Brand in a more controlled way. In the future, they could make the competition among streamers. A good example for that is Lilmiquela - a popular virtual influencer among young generation now. So it is really potential direction.

we imagined Berlin’ future to help people think about how virtual streamers might change our shopping expericences and daily lives.

interview with Mr.Yan -Jingdong Chinese e-commerce Live Streaming Operater

To better understand the current operating status of virtual streamers in the Chinese market, we invited Mr. Yan for a brief interview. He has worked at JD.com for 3 years in the role of Jingdong Chinese e-commerce Live Streaming Operator.

Here are the notiz for the interview.

-Virtual Streamers as Supplement: Virtual streamers are used during non-peak hours to reduce costs, while human streamers operate during peak hours (8–10 PM) for higher engagement.

-Continuous Streaming: Longer streams are favored by algorithms for wider reach.

-Performance Comparison: Virtual and human streamers generate similar revenue. Virtual streamers have limited interaction, while human streamers offer flexible, real-time responses. Audiences initially can't tell the difference, but it shows during interactions.

-Strategic Adjustments: Human streamers adjust strategies based on traffic, while virtual streamers lack real-time adaptability.

-Future Prospects: Virtual streamers will grow, but they won't dominate due to limitations in interaction and adaptability.

-Algorithmic Influence: Sales, interaction rates, and quality influence stream promotion.

Great thanks to Siyi for connecting us with him. We now have more confidence, and we believe that virtual streamers as our intervention point will have a huge impact on the entire system.

Speculative Design

After discussing our thoughts on Speculative Design with Feiyang, We got inspired:

- Don’t create just for the sake of illustration—find a balance. A concept that is too safe won’t be memorable or challenging. On the other hand, if it's too bizarre, people won’t take it seriously.
- It must have a tangible form (?)—something that belongs to our world, while the concept it conveys exists in a parallel reality.
- Critical design borrows methods from art.

Example: A speculative documentary exploring the societal impact if humans lived up to 150 years.

Example: A newspaper as a medium depicting a post-Russia-Ukraine war world.

Idea 1:

Materializing a virtual livestream studio vs. a Hong Kong residential area.

Midjourney accurately depicts the virtual world → connection to virtual currency, virtual streamers (uniforms, digital identity), and reward mechanisms.

All of these drive consumption and optimize user experience (addressing loneliness and social satisfaction).

Idea 2:

Creating a physical livestream studio using clay.

And then we try to sketch something!!

We got some feedbacks from Stephanie that really helps deepen our thinking about this project. 

We discussed how to use ChatGPT in our project and concluded that it should be a tool for inspiration, not a way to present ideas directly.

When conveying ideas, storytelling is crucial. A great reference is https://biocubes.net/. Instead of broadly outlining all possibilities, we should focus on one key point and explore it deeply within a future world context.

Additionally, our concepts should be evidence-based, emerging from facts and logical reasoning rather than pure speculation. Ultimately, a convincing idea is more important than a solution—our goal is to make people believe that this future could truly happen, rather than simply providing a ready-made answer.

It makes me to rethink the 4 Why.

- why we chooes the speculative design?

- why we chooes the speculative design?

- why is it good story to tell?

- why does it help the people to connect with the idea?

Final Idea!!

Virtual Agency：One-on-One Personalized Recommendations in Social E-Commerce

What if： we reimagine this from the perspective of a virtual agency...?

Premise：

In a fictional social e-commerce world dominated by capitalist conglomerates, the goal of the virtual agency is to leverage AI algorithms to make precise, irresistible product recommendations, maximizing profit. This virtual agency seamlessly integrates AI-driven innovation with manipulative marketing strategies, fundamentally reshaping how people live, interact, and consume.

We build the scenario（in Gif） in Blender, and using a storyboard approach to depict a possible future where recommendation algorithms have advanced to the point of truly understanding human desires, seamlessly integrating into every aspect of daily life, subtly shaping choices and controlling the world people see.

I want to maintain a neutral perspective on this, but my hope is that by envisioning such a future, people will reflect on their present lives and take action now to shape the future they truly want.  

-This story takes place in Berlin Mitte, 2045.

Virtual agents now dominate online shopping, well recommending products to people.

-Cars fill the streets.

-A man just got off work—he’s starving. He thinks, “The fridge is now empty.” Right at that moment, his virtual agent has already placed an order based on his taste, habits, and spending level. It is even delivered to his home.

-A pop-up appears: “Would you like to continue shopping or cancel the order?”（Enhanced Customization）

-Virtual agency processes data from the entire city

-Recommending „curated selections“ for everyone.

You can check the storyboard in Figma👇

 https://www.figma.com/design/CHKqeWmzpxXsxea0ivDWiB/AI-Deconsumption?node-id=1101-113&t=02xWx7LxG1c5POjA-1

The red cables in the image symbolize AI algorithms feeding the city like nutrients.

Reflection

what is the Beauty of deconsumption?

not to directly bann the firework, but think of the things behind it. Keep the joyness and other “value” from deconsumption.