User:Mihail Bakalov/Trimester 5/GraduateResearchSeminar/Thesis1stchapter

CHAPTER 1

User, reflection and indentification

The following chapter will elaborate on my methodology and its development before and throughout the course and support it with case studies of previous projects.

In my work, I develop research methods and experiments with various media. The connection between my previous projects and the grad project is the field of work and research. In my previous photographic experiments, I have been dealing with subjects similar to my current interests, mostly observation and isolation of hidden/neglected elements of mundane objects and situations. Offering an alternative view on a topic within an abstract visual representation, creating a blend between the visible and hidden through my subjective view. Gradually my interest shifted from finding these situations and using photography as a way to document them, to creating tangible works that exist as extensions and interpreters to their environment(ex. YouLoop project).

Within the past two years I have worked on subjects concerning data anonymization, ways of expression in on-line social platform and influence of the design of these platforms. I found inspiration in the book “Wherefore Art thou R3579X?” where the authors Backstrom and Dwork talk about anonymized social networks and the structural steganography of them. They sum up some of the main elements of social network such as quantification and combined them together revealing hidden social network strategies for users to follow arbitrary distribution model. Also conducting their research they shed light in the structural data anonymization and de-anonymization area, and the evaluation of data owners structural data vulnerability.

Previous work

1st project

Who knows, left or right?

One of my first attempts dealing with on-line social spaces started within the field of copyright infringement. In “Who knows, left or right?” a work from first trimester with Lidia Pereira focusing on YouTube and the chain reaction of user actions and user generated content. The research lead to a printed maze, where participants are left to have a manual hand drawn adventure of the unnotified at first hand copyright infringements that users of the platform can face. A way of personal analyzation, questioning how users actions can have consequences.

While social network such as YouTube open up space for content to be uploaded by users, it leaves many content related questions aside, as a second though. While our research was running we looked at what questions are triggered when uploading a video on the platform, what information is the platform giving and how it deals with copyright problems of user generated content. These are some of the things we found as questions around user generated content: Which types of work are subject to copyright? Can a copyright-protected work be used without infringing? Can YouTube determine copyright ownership? What is the difference between copyright and privacy?

The project can be seen as a questionnaire in the form of a labyrinth. As a basis for its structure we took the methodology of asking questions at every fork in path of the participant. The questions participants are asked are close to the mind, but which do not occur, or are overlooked by users when uploading videos on the on-line platform. The labyrinth starts with uploading a video on YouTube. At every fork in the path of the maze, the participant is asked a question about the content of the video. Every answer is a decision which path to take next. In the end of the journey participants are presented with a categorization of the copyright infringement connected to the uploaded content.

2nd project

Social circle quartet

After working on smaller projects and experimenting with different approaches, my interest toward on-line social design grew more. It resulted in the project “Social circle quartet”. For this project I used my previously described methodology where I take the factors that the field presents me with and use them as ground base. Working with the content goes through isolation and amplification, to bring clarification on an aspect, or creating a critical overview. In this project I looked at the quantification aspect that social networks present us with. On this basis I take the quantified structure which Facebook has and use it as a foundation for my work.

The work resolved into creating a quartet card game, from Facebook profiles. Each card contained a profile picture and general statistic about this profile, such as number of friends, likes, posts and the date of joining the social network. I used the profiles of the students in my university to create the cards for the game. By creating a card game from users profiles, this focused on the competitive side of social networks, and brought up that aspect as a satirical critique.

The materialized into paper as a game emphasizes the satirical element of the quantification on social networks. A reason to create a physical object is the transient nature of the information transmitted. The game is still the same, it just uses different content, with which it declares the power that the numbers hold on social networks.

3rd project

SurrogateSearch

So far my previous projects dealt more with the on-line environment and the design of it, and its effect. This research took direction toward the content used to socialize as a main subject. With more experiments in the field I also merged my focus with on-line identity. It resulted into the project “SurrogateSearch”/”OnlineDoubled”. It is a search engine for Facebook profiles, its main idea is to find a person, with the same posts as you. The result of the search engine is a list starting with the profiles that mostly resemble your own. The project's aim is to show the effect of forwarding links as a way of expression.

For this work I found inspiration in the third chapter of Geert Lovink's book “Networks without a cause” where he talks about the main causes of the eruption of the forwarding society. He states that the two main elements are the abundance of information on-line reflecting different opinions and the social networks. The two of them are the combination of info stress and competition which pushes users to use this method of expression.

The list displayed as a result of the search is an overview of how you use posts, if you are more independent in your expressions then you will find less resemblance in other peoples profiles. The project takes as a ground of research user statements in on-line social shows a critical stand on the ways of expression. The project has two side where one is a critical stand on your ways of expression, but could be a new way to find people who have similar likes to you, and could lead to possible friendships.

MY CURRENT RESEARCH

In the mundane

With my current research I am again focusing on the content people use to express them selves in online network media. It started from a simple observation on the everyday posts that people make reflecting their current status or doings. while going through the everyday mundain content of peoples posts on social media. This project builds on a similar concept to Willem Flusser's idea about mediation through images, where happenings turn to events. I see that nowadays happening in social networks.

We live in an experience economy where economic value is being created through experiences. As a basis for my research I am taking the idea of nowadays experience based society. The main concept of this economy is described by Pine and Gilmore in their book “The experience economy”. They present the idea underpinning customer experience management where businesses must orchestrate memorable events for their customers, and that memory itself becomes the product. What Facebook has given to people is the space to share mundane things and make them into worth memorable events. By doing that it brings meaning to banality, it highlights it and attaches value to it.