Illegibility

I live in the shadow of the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York's newest museum. It's an amazing architectural monument and has energized the neighborhood in ways I never imagined.

On Thursday night, I went to an event called 'Night School.' The lecture was given by the Raqs Media Collective, an Indian trio that explores history, philosophy, research and theory. The topic of Thursdays lecture was illegibility, stammering and shadows. It was a bit dry in spots and I didn't understand everything but it was thought provoking. 

One thing that I latched onto is the term of illegible applied to actions rather than just words. I need to research the case they cited. If anyone knows it, please let me know. The case pitted Native Americans against a logging concern. In the case, the chief gave a vivid oral history of the land in an attempt to spare it from being logged. The judge ruled against the tribe on the grounds that the history was oral and as such impermissible as evidence. Their history was illegible. 

I wonder if one can use the term in consumer research. I began to think about the actions of brands in relation to their customers and applying the term - illegible - to situations where there is a disconnect between the brand's behavior and consumer expectations. When a brand behaves in a manner customers do not understand or  cannot 'read,' its' behavior is illegible or opaque. 

This is just a starting thought but I will explore this topic further in the months ahead.