Out Of Control
Living in the era of big data, algorithms have quietly penetrated into people's lives. Whether it is entertainment, learning, shopping, etc., the algorithm can dig deeply into users' preferences, and provide users with more accurate preference services.
Do people who rely too much on algorithms still have their own values, their own decisions, their own ability to search and accept?
There has never been a time when you could get enough dopamine quickly and at the lowest cost.
Background
“People are supposed to be free, but right now, everything is in a cage of algorithms.
Technology and algorithms used to be expected to give people greater freedom, but that is not the case now. New technology brings new limitations. What to see, what to listen to and where to spend...... These are all governed by algorithms. Most people, even programmers themselves, don't fully appreciate how we, and the world, are affected by algorithms and never go back.”
Problem
In what way can this abstract problem be made more story-telling, more immersive, and more thought-provoking?
Solution
Interaction Page
Through some interactive websites, I try to show how algorithms gradually master users' preferences when people use websites.
But in general, this is a method with strong user participation, but I cannot express my strong personal feelings in an exaggerated way.
Animation
The method of using animation is a more abstract output of personal views, which can be more distorted and exaggerated.
Finally I chose this approach because I wanted to show my perspective on algorithms through storytelling.
Keyframe
From the perspective of an ordinary person, I told a dream he had on the subway when he was using social networks. It tells the relationship between algorithm and user through metaphor, and shows users controlled by algorithm in an exaggerated way.
1. Subway
The subway here is a metaphor for some information carriers such as mobile phones. The closed subway is not only a means for people to travel, but also traps people's movement track. Just like mobile phones, they give users information, but they also form a cocoon of information that limits people's consciousness.
2. Bird
Birds are new users. By collecting users' preferences and controlling users' information, algorithms can predict what users expect to see, but also make users lose the ability to think and judge independently. Even through some malicious or incorrect use of algorithms, users are trapped in the cocoon of information.
3. Color
Color refers to the colorful and diversified world. When users get rid of the addictive mechanisms brought by algorithms and the cocoon of information trapped in them, they may be able to appreciate the beauty of the world more fully and control information more freely.
Conclusion
So far I've finished selecting the Keyframe and background music.
Then I will use Adobe Effect and other software to make the animation more complete and smooth, so as to completely show my personal abstract view of the relationship between algorithm and user.
DESIGNER
Xindi Wang
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Mike Strobert
Adam Smith
TOOLS
Adobe Effect
Photoshop
DURATION
Jan-Dec,2022
To Be Continued