What Would Life Look Like If We Become A Prophylactic Culture?

As we move past quarantine, we can expect a new way of living that allows for safer human interaction and touch through new invisible technologies, innovation that enables greater protection for our immune health and living environments, and powerful new ways to nurture the mental well-being of everyone within society.

The image above depicts how artist and designer, Dominic Wilcox, envisioned a Pre-Handshake Handshake Device. The Device was exhibited in New York City in 2010, as an exploration around uncomfortable conversations.

According to Kim Bates, Chief Futurist at Faith Popcorn’s Brain Reserve, “As we navigate the ‘new strange’ of post-quarantine with its uncertainty, political unrest and societal PTSD, health and wellness are just the beginning of our journey to healing. Immunity and protection of the physical body, mind, spirit, environment and society will become the next symbols of human survival and status. We are entering into what I refer to as the new era of Prophylactic Culture.”

But what does this mean? Let’s start by defining what a prophylactic culture means and some of the potential ways it’s starting to be manifested today and possibly into the future. 

Prophylactic is defined as, “guarding from or preventing the spread or occurrence of disease or infection and also tending to prevent or ward off.” While term is often only used to refer to disease/infection prevention, the cultural concept presented here is a lot broader, it’s about guarding and prevention of other things.

In the era of Prophylactic Culture, “technology and innovation will be used for good to help protect and fortify our lives and livelihoods like never before. Inventors and brands will harness the power of empathy, imagination and collective action to enable society to build greater resilience, safety, compassion, equality and freedom from illness, trauma and anxiety.”

 This acceleration into this era also has implications for brands and businesses, as consumer behavior is changing and CMOs will need to rethink their strategy at times to accommodate for these shifts. It also brings about opportunities for companies that can help make us feel safer. 

These ideas may seem foreign and maybe even sci-fi. But companies already exist today that place prophylactic solutions, machines and technology in our world. Let’s explore some of the ways companies are already envisioning using tech and innovation to safeguard consumers and also explore potential ways a prophylactic culture could manifest itself in the futures that lie ahead. 

Environmental Prophylactics

Our homes and offices will become “biologically fortified” compounds filled with lab-grade interiors, medical-grade filtration and other protective technology creating a retreat from pathogens, pollution and other people. Intellipure, is one such company that provides this type of equipment. 

Their Whole House Air Cleaner attaches outside of the furnace to circulate fresh, contaminate-free air throughout the entire home. Intellipure invented what they call, Disinfecting Filtration System technology, that “uses a high-energy grid, creating microbiostasis condition which prevents anything from being able to live or grow inside the filter.” DFS captures 99.99% of all particles as small as 0.007 micron in size. That’s 40 times smaller than the HEPA filtration standard.

Our furniture and surfaces might have biometric tracking built in to keep track of our oxygen levels, pulse rates and temperatures. Medical-grade data connectivity will be needed to deliver the full spectrum of online health services that patients will soon demand. Shadow underground markets might sell antibody plasma and immunity testing badges to people who are wanting to travel abroad and remain at their job sites. Our walls might grow phytonutrients, when the hourly climate change makes it impossible to grow crops outside.

Eventually, our mobile, and possibly flying, home pods will possibly be able to easily migrate away from hostile climates to safer zones, even self-generating our food source for healthy meals. While not exactly flying homes, floating housing provides an alternative to coastal living for those forced to live in volatile conditions with scarcity of resources. Design firm dada has envisioned a “current for currents”. These are houses that live on the ocean and are “powered by both tidal and solar energy, harvested by technological systems incorporated within the units themselves...” making the whole community off-the-grid and self-sufficient.

The new design language for automotive will be inspired by trucks and tanks; the ultimate symbols of safety. We will see mass auto brands take design and feature cues from ultra-luxury automotive tank brands like Rezvani, Dartz and Karlmann. And luxury 6X6 pickups like the Rezvani Hercules and Mercedes-AMG G63. These come with “sci-fi grade” features such as bulletproof glass, military-grade tires, tank-like angles, electrified handles, automated driver assist, signal jammers, explosive detection systems, and 1500 HP Engines. We are already seeing these cues with the design of the new Tesla Cybertruck. 

Airplanes and restaurants will have “air-shields” so people no longer have to wear PPE when trying to enjoy their food, drinks and flights. Teague, a Seattle-based industrial design company, designed a new ventilation system for airplanes. The concept is a 3-D-printed ventilation system that creates “invisible curtains of air around airplane passengers, reducing the risk of coronavirus infections.” The new ventilation technology used “computational fluid dynamics to determine that the air flow could direct respiratory droplets and aerosols from coughs and sneezes downward to air filters, rather than outward to other passengers.” 

Christophe Gernigon is one designer who envisioned a way for guests to enjoy each other's company and their meals, while protecting them at the same time. Gernigon designed XXL sized shields made from plexiglass to hang from the ceiling and protect diners at restaurants. There is even a version for a table of two, where both guests can sit under the same shield.

Hostesses and servers are also on designer’s minds for developing prophylactic gear. Otozuki, a kimono manufacturing company, designed facemasks for hostesses that also allow them to eat and socialize with guests. The mask, called Face Veil, is made up of three pieces of fabric that cover the nose and mouth. One layer of fabric can be lifted to eat or drink without completing removing the covering.

Fermented Foods Protect the Microbiome

We will see a rise in fermented and probiotic ingredients and products on menus and in our kitchens to help bolster our microbiome and immune systems. Kombucha drinks and Kimchi meals will evolve into new delivery systems such as gummies, tablets, patches and IVs. Spiked flavored kombuchas will start replacing the ever-popular spiked seltzers for twice the benefit

Mental Well-being Prophylactics

In terms of anxiety management, our vehicles and public transport will have built in robot companions to keep us company and help us feel calm and happy on our journey. Our bathtubs will provide voice-guided meditations, subconscious hypnosis, and positive affirmations while we bathe physically and mentally. Our watches will help predict anxiety attacks and enable us to stop or minimize them before they begin. 

Our pajamas will hug us throughout the night and deliver transdermal well-being supplements and mental health medicine. Gamers will be able to take pit stops into virtual therapist offices and “rage rooms” without ever leaving their metaverse. Free snacks at the office will give way to free coaching and therapy by new professionals placed inside our HR departments. We will see more companies hire Chief Empathy Officers. 

Eventually, neural lace systems will automatically keep our moods, inner peace, and sense of safety at optimal levels throughout the day. One type of robot already exists for that purpose. Moxie is a social robot who helps kids with social-emotional learning. Embodied, the company behind Moxie, developed the social companion for kids aged 6-9 to help promote cognitive development through play-based learning. Moxie even sets an example (and limits) by “by getting tired and going to sleep if the child tries to do too much with it at once.” 

 Prophylactics for the Underserved 

However, not everyone will have access to these services. We must invent and fund new social programs to help the underserved in the community deal with grief, suffering, fear and rage in safe and trusted ways. Built on the community food bank and food truck models, we will fund community mental health banks, free skills training centers and send mobile wellness trucks into the neighborhoods that need it the most. 

Binishell is one company focused on housing for homeless communities. Binishell draws inspiration from nature to create homes for those in need. Their shelters are “code compliant to international standards and can be built almost anywhere.” Binishell says they are a technology company first, and that solutions like theirs can be quickly deployed for the homeless, disaster relief, or other scenarios for those in need.

Digital devices will embed speed buttons to free mental health hotlines. We will create “safe zones” for refugees and young mothers to give them access to shared childcare and support. Young students who study social science and technology will invent new ways to serve and protect more people and become the next generation of government workers, social workers, and job counselors in their communities. 

The Future Looks Like A Strange Place

As we emerge from our homes or go back into them, culture as we know it is changing. We guard our physical and digital lives with locks and passwords, and now we’re guarding ourselves using preventative and predictive barriers to keep us and those around us healthy and happy, and these in turn are having an impact in how we shop, dine, and entertain ourselves. Our future might look like a strange place. Maybe Jean Marc Cote was on to something. 

This article was written in partnership with Chief Futurist, Kim Bates.