A Social Project, contains several elements that help it transcend a lot of the technological, geographical and accessibility. These elements exist outside of the virtual environment providing addition context while existing as standalone formats of the objects within the virtual space.
As social media has become an integral part of our lives, we have learned how to use it to express # ourselves in unique and powerful ways. Our digital presence has become an extension of our physical selves, and the experiences and activities we engage in on these platforms have become an important part of who we are.
I aim to create a space where people can explore and reflect on their own digital lives by presenting these experiences in an accessible and engaging format. My work is focused on capturing and curating these digital experiences, providing a valuable resource for those looking to understand the evolution of social media and its potential future directions. How can we make people see where we were, where we are, and where we might be going?
Sculpture “Influencer Economy”, within the development environment
“The Social Museum” is an ongoing investigation to answer these questions and probe several others. This project aims to create a digital space, a museum, to house these experiences. One of the ways it was done was by creating a workshop around the topic and asking the participants to translate their experiences onto a 3d Sculpture. The museum will house sculptures made during the workshop and some that I have created with my translations. The structure and backend of the museum use Unity, a game engine, helping it be dynamic and accessible. So far the project has been concerned with enacting the processes to create such a space.
By combining digital technology with traditional museum practices, The Social Museum aims to scrutinize what a digital museum could be.
Sculptures made by the Beini, Soojin, Chinhwa, Jamel and Marie
Workshop conducted with peers from MAGCD
A Social Workshop serves as a pivotal component within this project, playing a vital role in the establishment of the Museum. The workshop adopts a comprehensive three-step approach, fostering insightful discussions regarding social networking platforms, their impact on individuals, the possibilities they offer, and the challenges they present. Furthermore, participants are introduced to 3D modeling software, a technique employed in constructing the Metaverse—an emerging technology that may succeed existing social platforms. The culmination of the workshop involves translating these discussions into a prompt, which subsequently informs the creation of captivating 3D objects.
The workshop commences with an introduction by the host, providing a contextual framework for the ensuing discussions. This introduction sets the stage for participants to engage in dialogue, leaving them with prompts to deliberate upon. Often, the conversation begins with the host sharing a personal experience related to the platform, fostering a comfortable environment for participants to contribute their unique perspectives and insights. Throughout the workshops conducted thus far, discussions have revolved around the multifaceted nature of these platforms, encompassing connectivity, community-building, content creation, inspiration, and organization. While these positive aspects initially set the tone, the discourse naturally gravitates toward exploring the negative or problematic facets of these platforms. This recurring pattern emerged organically during the workshops. Moreover, these discussions play a pivotal role in guiding participants towards developing prompts that form the foundation for their respective 3D objects or sculptures.
After a 30-minute discussion, participants are tasked with articulating their prompts and envisioning the form and function of their creations. Subsequently, an induction session on 3D modeling and sculpting software is conducted. This crash course empowers participants with the necessary skills to manifest their sculptures, offering a range of software options spanning from open-source and freely available tools to industry-standard paid softwares. In addition, participants gain access to online resources where they can download and utilize creative commons assets to enhance their creations. A set of default objects is also provided within a 3D file, nudging their imagination and showcasing the possibilities afforded by the software.
Once inducted, participants are encouraged to experiment and commence the creation of their sculptures, with the host remaining present throughout the process, offering guidance and assistance with technical challenges as needed. A designated time frame of 1 to 1.5 hours is allocated for participants to realise their creative visions. In alignment with the discussions, the prompts often emphasize the darker aspects of these platforms. Furthermore, participants are also instructed to document how their objects are to be curated and interacted with, granting them greater control over the audience’s interpretation within the virtual space. The implementation of these interactions and curation note, takes place at a later stage during the execution of the museum. Once everyone has completed the sculptures, they are uploaded to a padlet, facilitating further discussions and engagement.
These workshops serves as the cornerstone of A Social Museum, seamlessly integrating the audience as active participants in the creation and curation process. By curating experiences from diverse vantage points, the museum transcends the constraints of one-sided perspectives, fostering a multifaceted exploration of the subject matter.
Starting from Brief 1 it was a wonky start, but too a much more steady approach toward a specific topic. The practice has grown through iterative and critical experiments. What seems to be emerging out of it is a kit of experiments that aim to create a pedagogy around social media. A way to discuss both its negatives and positives. Some references have proved important to help propel my work to the next stage. The last piece of reference (Ten Arguments to Delete your Social Media Accounts Right now) has done it equally, if not less, than others to help me look at my practice from a critical vantage point. ‘Ten arguments to delete your social media accounts right now was suggested to me way back when I first dwelled into exploring social media and its effects on us. Reading it did provide some critical context into the tech and ways of approaching the pedagogy surrounding it. This book and Jaron Lanier’s practice as a whole challenged my current practice of staying critical.
Jaron Lanier in his 146-page long book tries a polemic approach, to explore the problems surrounding social media/networks. This reference acted as the other side of the multifaceted coin that is the pedagogy around social media, one of which is the critical approach that my practice tries to explore. Through the experiments and iterations conducted so far in my practice, they collectively try to enact a neutral position. Providing the audience with not a statement, but a question to think about. Generating awareness on both sides, be it the negative or the positive. While the form that my studio practice takes is depended upon the kind of message that the work is attempting to communicate, it is a much more fluid one. It does not confine to one medium or one form, making it easier for its dissemination to happen.
Social media, like everything, has its pros and cons. It is unto the people that use it, to also decide how to do so. As designers, it provides us with a great deal of power to create conversations and awareness around such influential technology. That is what my work is trying to achieve, to generate awareness, to create a conversation, and not assume a position but give the audience a neutral perspective. For a technology like social media, which is part of our daily lives it is important, that we do not just ignore it. There needs to be a critical understanding of all that forms it and the people who use it and what they use it for. Taking a one-sided perspective on themes such as these won’t help the cause. For the studio work up until now, it has been following a pattern where the work generated is from my perspective, it has been a way of understanding what I do on social media and why I do it. To propel my practice further, the next part would involve getting inputs from users in different walks of life and understanding how they create a space for this tech in their life and what reason occupies it.