Steve'sMethod'sWikiPage26-9-19
http://pzwiki.wdka.nl/mediadesign/Methods_lens-based
Session one
what why how
Vicinity Point is a sound installation, idea of which was built upon a desk research on associative memory and social media black boxes, and a notion of them reinforcing each other in terms of exploiting users’ attention and thus forwarding platforms’ interests. The installation itself had a simple setup: two sound monitors facing each other with large plexiglass panels between them forming a corridor for the visitors. Associativeness of memory is considered to be one of the ways in which human mind operates in regards to memorizing information and retrieving it later on. Social media black boxes represent the algorithms which log users’ every move on the platform in a particular way. This helps the platform to target its users as specifically as possible, which advances the tools of attention economy.
Sound aspect was derived from field recordings i’ve made in Dnipro of the few distinct places in town and later manipulating them to some degree, which would represent a metaphor of pixelating an image or obfuscating data in a way that original would be recognizable.
The point wasn’t to try to let the visitors guess where the sounds came from but to convey the idea that even when one is provided with only the bits of the original and it triggers particular associations based on one’s past knowledge and experience, with an effort it’s still possible to figure out what was the source and why was it delivered only in these bits. Users’ attitudes towards social media and their disregard for their own privacy while handing over their personal information was always frustrating to me. This is why delving into this subject was only natural and logical for me as i wanted to know more about the mechanisms behind these platforms and the reasons they worked so well.
(<<btw: this is not my text)
SOME EXAMPLES:
http://pzwiki.wdka.nl/mediadesign/User:Mia
OR like this from Marieke's page: