giskt

Giskt is a fictional concept used in speculative design and fiction to describe a method of encoding, transmitting, and interpreting experiential knowledge through embodied gestures and spatial cues within digital networks.

The term giskt appears to be a portmanteau, combining gesture-related communication with gist transfer, and was popularized in online design fiction discussions during the 2010s. It is not associated with any conventional technology or recognized standard.

In the envisioned model, sensors capture multimodal inputs—gestures, body motion, gaze, facial expressions, and environmental context—and convert them into a navigable data stream. Recipients interpret the stream using a shared mapping that links cues to abstract meanings, enabling remote collaboration and learning.

Uses in fiction and speculative design include remote mentorship, artistic collaboration, and collective memory projects. It is often presented as a thought experiment about embodied communication, privacy, consent, and the potential for tacit knowledge to be externalized.

Critics point to challenges such as data provenance, surveillance risk, cultural bias in interpreting gestures, and the potential for misalignment between intended and received meaning. Proponents frame giskt as a conceptual probe into designing for embodied interaction and memory in networks.

See also: gestural interfaces, telepresence, embodied cognition, design fiction.