Decontextualization, as you may have guessed, is the act of stripping something out of its context. Design is intrinsically tied to the context in which it was brought into existence; taking it out of context yields some devastating effects. Sadly enough, the current trends in the design community seem to favor decontextualization at an unwitnessed scale.
Our daily intake of inspirational lists, showcases and galleries has hit an all-time high. These eye-candy feeds strip designs of all their context (problem solving aspects) and emphasize on their style and pixel-perfection. If you think that there is nothing wrong with this, then I have bad news for you: design is not bodybuilding. It's not about how bulgy and shiny your muscles are, it's about how you use them to lift heavy rocks and clear the path.
Shots of Doom
And if inspirational feeds weren't enough for you, the new craze in the design community of WIP shots is here to insatiate your thirst for pixel-perfection. For those of you who do not have at least one designer friend, WIP shots is the backbone concept of Dribbble and Forrst, two new social networks where designers can share their WIP designs. Both services are invite-only, creating thus a wave of elitism that has spurred an unparalleled fever in the design community; there are far less invites than designers desperately seeking the me-too stamp of approval.
Personally I have nothing against the concept itself. I know the people behind these services, and I admit that they have done -for the most part- an awesome job. Dribbble and Forrst are convenient for designers actively seeking feedback from peers, provided that they give enough background information about their works.
Hey, I am awesome and so is my WIP. -- Random Dribbble user
Unfortunately, these services became the hotspot of design exhibitionism. Most designers provide few or no background information at all, and most commenters don't even bother to ask. Comments are for the most part of the "Awesome work pal!" ilk or, even worse, something in the lines of "The letterpress effect seems out of place". If you are looking for real design criticism, you better go look elsewhere.
Putting context in context
All veteran designers would agree with the fact that when design is out of context, it is insignificant at best. Some background information (goals, target audience, etc.) is mandatory.
Design is not art. Design is about solving problems, and appreciating design work involves looking at its ability to solve the problems initially assigned. With the lack of context, we end up glorifying style and beauty, and that's fine as far as body(pixel)building goes; not for genuine design.
Again, I'd like to point out that I have nothing against visual appeal in design; just have a look at my works to see how much of a pixel junkie I am. However, I have grown less and less tolerant to out-of-context design work, especially after noticing that my designs are getting fattier and fattier due to my daily intake of pixel-fat over at Dribbble and, to some extent, Forrst.
Sorry my designer friends, but I am starting a spartan pixel-diet.