Definitions by Araucaria Angustifolia
Cultural riddles
Unspoken contradictions, strange behaviours, or social mysteries within a culture that seem confusing at first, but reveal deeper beliefs, values, or tensions when you look closer.
“Why do we crave authenticity while carefully curating our online identities? That’s one of the great cultural riddles of the digital age.”
Cultural riddles by Araucaria Angustifolia October 29, 2026
Fringe mapping
A way of mapping the weird, niche, emerging and easily dismissed things happening at the edges of society that might reveal something about where culture is heading.
Everyone was busy chasing the next big trend, but we were fringe mapping — looking at digital detox clubs, offline social networks and people romanticising life before smartphones. Turns out, the weird stuff at the edges can tell you a lot about what’s happening in the centre.
Fringe mapping by Araucaria Angustifolia October 28, 2026
Coolhunting
(noun; verb: to coolhunt)
The practice of noticing emerging cultural behaviours, symbols, and communities, understanding what they mean to the people who create them, and translating those insights into commercial or organisational decisions. Unlike traditional market research, coolhunting seeks to understand culture while it is still forming, before its meanings become widely recognised or commercially established.
At its best, coolhunting is an exercise in cultural understanding; at its worst, it reduces living communities to raw material for marketing. The difference lies in whether the observer seeks to learn from a culture or simply extract value from it.
The practice of noticing emerging cultural behaviours, symbols, and communities, understanding what they mean to the people who create them, and translating those insights into commercial or organisational decisions. Unlike traditional market research, coolhunting seeks to understand culture while it is still forming, before its meanings become widely recognised or commercially established.
At its best, coolhunting is an exercise in cultural understanding; at its worst, it reduces living communities to raw material for marketing. The difference lies in whether the observer seeks to learn from a culture or simply extract value from it.
“We thought we were coolhunting for the next running trend; turns out, we were witnessing a quiet rebellion against the idea that everything in life needs to be optimised.”
Coolhunting by Araucaria Angustifolia October 28, 2026
Speculative Design
When designers get bored of fixing the present and start making shit up about the future to see how uncomfortable it makes everyone. Basically, creating imaginary products, services, or worlds that make you go “wait… what if?” and then realise the future might be weirder than you thought. Not about predicting what’s gonna happen, but making you question what’s happening right now.
Imagine Instagram starts charging you $5 every time you scroll past an ad without buying anything, because the algorithm says you’re wasting its time. That’s speculative design. It’s a fake feature that makes you question whether social media is just an app anymore, or a business trying to monetise literally every second of your life.
Speculative Design by Araucaria Angustifolia October 28, 2026
Liminal space
A place, moment, or state of existence caught between what something was and what it is becoming. Traditionally associated with empty corridors, abandoned buildings, and transitional spaces, liminal space now also describes hidden worlds, forgotten communities, and strange in-between realities at the edges of everyday life. It’s where the familiar feels unfamiliar, normal rules seem suspended, and something exists outside the story we usually tell ourselves about the world.
“I went exploring beneath New York City and stumbled upon people living in forgotten tunnels beneath the streets. It was the ultimate liminal space experience — an entire world existing between the city everyone sees and the one nobody talks about.”
Liminal space by Araucaria Angustifolia October 28, 2026
Early adopter
Someone who tries the new thing before everyone else; not necessarily because it’s better, but because being first is part of the fun. They’ll test the app nobody’s heard of, wear the trend everyone else thinks is weird, or experiment with a technology while the rest of us are still asking, “But what’s it for?”
“Nina was wearing second-hand designer, mixing weird silhouettes, and shopping from emerging local brands years before they showed up on everyone's mood boards. She's an early adopter, not a trend follower.”
Early adopter by Araucaria Angustifolia October 28, 2026
Sensemaking
The process of connecting signals, behaviours, and emerging trends to understand what might be changing beneath the surface. In futures foresight, it means looking beyond isolated facts to explore the patterns, tensions, and cultural shifts they may reveal. It’s not about predicting what happens next; it’s about making sense of what is happening now, why it might matter, and what questions it opens up.
“We don’t need another prediction about AI; we need sensemaking to understand what its adoption is already changing around us.”
Sensemaking by Araucaria Angustifolia October 28, 2026