IMPULSE #1.7

Some ideas never lose relevance, no matter how much time passes. The three TED Talks I reviewed — Taryn Simon’s The Stories Behind the Bloodlines, Andrew Solomon’s Love, No Matter What, and Jeffrey Kluger’s The Sibling Bond — all explore themes of family, identity, and the ways our relationships shape us. Even though these talks were given over a decade ago, their messages feel just as urgent today, especially in the context of my master’s thesis and the genealogy app prototype I am developing.  

Each of these talks, in its own way, challenges how we think about lineage, love, and human connection. They don’t just focus on where we come from  they explore what family means, how we define it, and how we preserve those relationships over time. These themes are deeply relevant not only for my thesis but also for designing better tools that bring people together, both in digital and physical spaces.  

Taryn Simon: The Stories Behind the Bloodlines

Taryn Simon’s talk takes a fascinating approach to genealogy — not as a simple record of who begat whom, but as a collision of order and chaos. She traveled the world documenting bloodlines and their complicated, often painful histories. Some families were torn apart by corruption, genocide, or war, while others carried legacies of political power, migration, or survival — and this hit close to home, because not too long ago all of this happened in my home country too. Her project, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters, exposes how bureaucracy, history, and fate shape family narratives, sometimes erasing people altogether.  

One of the most haunting stories she tells is about a man in India who was declared legally dead because his relatives bribed officials to take over his land. On paper, he does not exist. And yet, here he is — a living contradiction. This highlights a deeper truth: our official records do not always reflect our lived realities.  

Why this matters for my thesis and my prototype:  

– Many genealogy tools focus on official documentation, like birth certificates and census records. But what happens when those records are missing, manipulated, or just wrong?  

– My prototype should allow users to tell their family stories in a way that goes beyond bureaucracy — through photos, voice recordings, and personal memories.  

– The way Simon presents her research — structured bloodlines clashing with fragmented footnotes — reminds me once again that genealogy isn’t just about names and dates; it’s about the tension between order and disorder, memory and erasure.

Andrew Solomon: Love, No Matter What

Andrew Solomon’s talk is about identity, acceptance, and the complexity of family love. He explores the idea that some identities — like race or nationality — are passed down through generations (vertical identities), while others — like being deaf, gay, or neurodivergent — do not match what parents expect (horizontal identities). Families often struggle with these differences, sometimes rejecting their own children because they do not fit traditional molds.  

Solomon tells heartbreaking and hopeful stories of parents learning to accept children they once feared they would never understand — parents of children with Down Syndrome, disabilities, or even children who became violent. One mother, whose son was a perpetrator of the Columbine massacre, wrestles with the painful reality of loving a child who caused immense harm. Solomon’s point is clear: love and acceptance are choices, not automatic responses.  

Why this matters for my thesis and my app prototype:

– Genealogy is often treated as a linear inheritance, but real families are far more complicated. A family tree does not always reflect the relationships that truly shape us.  

– My prototype should maybe allow users to define family beyond biology — including adopted family members, close friends, or mentors who have played essential roles in shaping their lives.  

– Solomon’s discussion of acceptance and difference is relevant to design itself. Good design is inclusive — it acknowledges that not everyone fits into a neat category. Whether designing for accessibility or creating a platform that allows for non-traditional family structures — these ideas could shape my work, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Jeffrey Kluger: The Sibling Bond

Jeffrey Kluger’s talk is a love letter to sibling relationships — the longest and often most formative relationships in our lives. He argues that siblings shape us in ways parents never can, influencing our personalities, our social skills, and even our career paths. Unlike parents, who eventually leave us, and children, who come into our lives later, siblings walk the entire journey with us (hopefully).  

Kluger also dives into birth order psychology, explaining how firstborns tend to be more responsible and achievement-oriented, while younger siblings develop charm and humor as survival mechanisms. He talks about favoritism in families, the impact of competition, and the deep, often unspoken loyalty between siblings — even when they drive each other crazy.  And as someone who has a much older brother, I can say that I agree with most of things said, but of course, every relationship is different.

Why this matters for my thesis and my app prototype:

– Sibling relationships are often overlooked in genealogy research. Most apps focus on parent-child connections, but my app could include features that highlight the influence of siblings — shared experiences, childhood memories, and inside jokes.  That is why I’m putting so much emphasis on storytelling.

– Kluger’s insights on birth order could inspire new ways to visualize family history. Imagine an interactive feature where users could see how birth order shaped different generations in their family.  

– More broadly, his talk reinforces that family history is not just about tracing ancestors — it’s about understanding the relationships that made us who we are and I’m all here for it.  

Why These Talks Matter for Design and My Future Work 

All three talks remind me that family is not just about genetics — it’s about stories, connections, and human experiences. This is directly relevant not only for my master’s thesis but also for the future of interactive design, digital storytelling, and genealogy apps.  

1. Storytelling is just as important as data. 

   – Genealogy tools should not just be family trees with facts — they should help people tell their family’s stories in rich and interactive ways. Taryn Simon’s approach to visually documenting bloodlines reminds me that history is not always clean and structured. My prototype should reflect both the order and the messiness of family history.  

2. Relationships shape us more than we realize.

   – Kluger’s discussion on sibling influence reminds me that genealogy apps should capture family dynamics, not just names. Whether designing genealogy tools, interactive exhibitions, or user-centered platforms, I want to focus on how people relate to one another — not just how they are related.  

Conclusion

These TED Talks reaffirm something I already believed: family history is not just about looking backward — it’s about understanding who we are today. Taryn Simon reveals how official records don’t always tell the full story, Andrew Solomon reminds us that family love is sometimes a journey, not an instant fact, and Jeffrey Kluger proves that our siblings shape us more than we think. 

For my thesis, for my app prototype, and for my future as a designer, these lessons will stay with me. Whether I’m working on genealogy, interactive storytelling, or user experience, the goal is the same: to create spaces where people can connect, reflect, and preserve the stories that truly matter.

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