VR

VR Project

DIGITAL SHRINE

This project, "Digital Shrine", intends to display the problem of how social media platforms shape us by displaying content that attracts us and giving positive feedback to every action that we perform on these platforms. I took inspiration from the documentary "The Social Dilemma" that these social media platforms create an avatar based on our behavior online and further exploit our information so that we could stay on the platform longer. And simultaneously, our behavior and thoughts are shaped by this process.

Thus, in this project, the user will be situated in an environment that simulates the place that social media platforms create for the user. There's a human figure in the middle of the scene, representing the "avatar", which is the digitized prediction of the platforms. The area that surrounds the figure represents the space that the platforms provide for the users to interact, so as to learn what the users like. The user can travel around in the environment and interact with some features that mimic what the social media platforms provide in order to see the users' feedback on certain content: star (collection feature), heart (like feature), chatbox, and emoji. Some of the responses represent how the "platform" give positive feedback to the users, while some are indications of how the users might react to certain scenarios. With the user's interaction (colliding into the objects), the objects will both perform physically and with some voiceover.

Midterm Documentation.mp4

Project Overview

Star emitting particles when user collides.

Emoji shaking with voiceover wher user collides with the chatbox

Full scene view

Plan for Presentation in IM Show

  • Mode of Presentation: on a headset + video projection (if possible)

  • Space: No additional space is needed, stationary mode is fine.

VR Proposal

Title: Who Am I in the Digital World? (working title)

Jiapei Yao, Oct. 3

In this project, I'd like to explore how social media, especially how the algorithms of these social media, are designed to extract data in ways that we don't even know about and use these data to learn about us to maximize their profits.

I was first inspired by Byung-Chul Han's book "The Expulsion of the Other", which talks about how nowadays people are becoming more and more homogeneous as people only look at things that agree with them. And social media plays an important role in this homogenization process, as algorithms only feed people what they like. This is a very concerning problem for me as I do sincerely feel that it's very hard to keep my stance and hear different opinions. I feel as if I'm gradually drowning and homogenized by this information that fits perfectly well with me.

"The Expulsion of the Other", Byung-chul Han

"The Social Dilemma", Jeff Orlowski

And later, introduced by the professor, I watched the docudrama film "The Social Dilemma" directed by Jeff Orlowski. The docudrama further developed my thoughts on this topic. I learned that social media are extracting data by any means that we don't even know about. And simultaneously, social media build algorithms based on these data and nurtures us to be addicted to that platform, so that they could gain profits by putting up advertisements. In other words, we become the products of these social media platforms. Our thoughts are manipulated, and we fall into the addiction traps. As shown in the picture, there's an "avatar" that the platforms build based on the data they extracted from us. They constantly conduct small experiments on us to learn more about us, and to find out what we actually like. And gradually, a digital version of us, built based on our own behavior data, by the platform algorithm, is made.

Thus, in this project, I'd like to tackle the issue of how social media is manipulating us and forming a digital avatar of us. By presenting this phenomenon, I'd like to invite my viewers to think about their use of social media and think about ways to fight against this issue.

Visually speaking, I'd like to create a cyberpunk-like and shrine-like environment, where there's a huge figure in the middle and a city-like environment around it.

For the figure in the middle, I'm considering using a 3D scan of myself, representing the avatar that is formed by social media. It starts with a transparent figure, with a few fractions of skin pieces. And as the viewers travel in the surrounding environment and bump into the "screens (will elaborate in the next paragraph)", other skin pieces start appearing on the figure, and in the end, makes up a complete figure. This 3D scan is expected to have some glitches, as this is not real, but a digital avatar of a person.

For the environment surrounding the figure, I'm imagining an area of land that is very colorful (highly saturated pink, yellow, green, etc.) and beautiful, but is also apparently digital (maybe some drones, digital screens, etc.). There's also a spiraling road that leads to this area from afar. On the road and in this area, there are some 3D projects and digital screens that display some social media content (like tweets, ins stories, and YouTube Videos), representing the contents that this social media world had recommended.

For the experience of the user, there will be mainly two sections. The first section is when the camera pan through the spiraling road, and follows with an establishing shot of the whole environment: the avatar, the city-like area, and the spiraling road. This is to indicate to the viewers what this environment is about and how it works. Then the second section is when the visitors will be on a first-person controller and placed inside the city-like area. The visitors will be able to explore the environment and sees the avatar gradually become completed as it collides with the screens with recommended contents.

For the audio part of the project, I'm thinking about some sounds that are very digital, indicating the metaphorical social media world. Here are some sample audios:

References

Sketchfab Assets: Cyberpunk City

Similar construction of the city-like area, but color might be more saturated

Sketchfab Assets: Cyberpunk Assets & Virtual Stage Cyberpunk

Sample of the projections for social media content.

Comments

Pauline: This looks awesome! I love the cyberpunk aesthetics mixed with the real and pressing problem of surveillance and consumer data extraction. The assets you linked also helped me visualize what exactly you're going to do. Super excited to see this executed!

Cole: The cyberpunk theme will be super cool to experience in VR! I'm curious where you can find all the assets to meet this theme but think it will work well and will be awesome to experience

meera: i love this, you're vision seems so meta borderline dystopian i love it.

Theyab : As a tech person, this looks really nice ! I love how you used the cyberpunk assets which is actually one of my favorite game ever.

Jannah: This is such a cool concept! I did a thesis on algrithms and their effect on us and on our brain functioning, I also used "The Social Dilemma" as my main reference, so it's really cool to see that you took interest in turning that into a virtual experience. Good Luck!

Rosanna: Great visuals! Looking forward to your work!