The way to travel back to earth: Mapping the design of BTS concert endings

If you are ARMY (a BTS fan), you probably know the common structure of a BTS concert, and you probably know about the last-song lie. This lie has been told at BTS concerts since at least 2015. Here’s what happens. About two hours in, one of the guys, usually RM, announces that “this is the last song.” But really, it’s only the last song before a short break, after which they always return for their encore set—to nobody’s surprise. When RM makes this last song announcement, there is still about another hour’s worth of concert to go, and the audience knows it.

Why has saying something technically untrue become such a reliable feature of BTS’ concerts? Because BTS are masters of something extremely difficult: ending well. They put a great deal of thought into how they end their shows, and they do so because they care about their fans—and themselves—not only in those key emotional moments, but in all other moments too.

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Other People Movement

Other People Movement (OPM) is a company that applies principles from positive psychology to address loneliness. OPM convenes small, diverse groups of strangers to connect deeply with one another in facilitated online gatherings called Circles. OPM also offers Collectives, which are months-long group memberships of the same people who regularly meet in Circles. These structured sources of connection provide tools for people to see and hear one another as their whole selves.

As an experience design consultant in 2020, I contributed improvements to the membership experience which led to the next Collective being the very first to make a full-year membership commitment.

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Coordination of Master of Applied Positive Psychology Program

From 2014 to 2017, I was the assistant coordinator and classroom manager at the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program. Penn’s MAPP degree was the first of its kind in the world. I was fortunate to work with instructors and guest lecturers who are the leaders in the field (including Martin Seligman, Angela Duckworth, James Pawelski, and many more), as well as dozens of brilliant, passionate students and alumni who are leaders in their own right.

What I originally understood as “simply” an administrative role (though a fulfilling one), I have come to recognize as the foundation of my journey as an experience designer for well-being.

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Reciprocity Ring facilitation at Rhizome Connect virtual conference

The Reciprocity Ring is a structured activity that has been used in group settings (originally within corporations) to prompt giving behaviors, tapping into the collective’s potential for generosity and social support. I proposed and facilitated a Reciprocity Ring event for Rhizome Connect, a virtual social and scholarly event for BTS fans that took place August 7 – 16, 2020.

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