Meet Met Net - Awareness and design in hyper-technology era

The complex relationship between man and technology is the starting point of an interesting design process aiming to highlight the lack of awareness in most of the behavioral choices of man. The man is distinguished by its nature of finding short-term solutions, with the almost complete inability of prefiguring repercussions resulting from his unconscious decisions. The technology, on the other hand is growing and developing fast, becoming day by day more autonomous and uncontrollable. Specific attention is deserved by those technological innovations that can cause unpredicted impacts on human, his principles, values and behaviors: knowing history by its sociological and behavioral implications allows us to recognize some recursive patterns that can then be transformed into opportunities. The goal is not an attempt to predict future trends in technological innovation but to find the right formula in order to raise the level of responsibility in individuals' behavior. Not by imposing rules but giving people the right awareness in order to make conscious choices and to guarantee a responsible behavior. The role of the designer and the fields where he can intervene are identified and an area of interest is delimited specifically to the ambit of the 3D printing, enhancing its potential property of changing both technological and human systems. A first answer to the problems triggered by 3D printing can be found, indeed, in the positive phenomena that are activated within collaborating groups by sharing space and knowledge in communities with a bottom-up approach. The designer is actively involved within the entire system, directing behaviors toward the correct ethical and moral responsibility. Therefore, 3D printing does not turn into another behavioral, social, economic and environmental failure.