code, installation, 2019
“Social Network” is designed as an installation for exhibitions. The rule is simple: you log in with your unique user name; dislike a video will destroy it( kinda like what happen on YouTube); like a video will improve its quality. Your first experience of the video is based on how many likes and dislikes that the visitors before you gave to this video, when you click like or dislike, you change the experience of the person after you, but also, the corresponding factor will be enlarged to make an immediate change. The idea was inspired by Kojima’s Death Stranding in which Kojima tries to make an experience of feeling connected with others when playing alone. Here is the same, everyone’s experience of the videos is unique, but yet connected with others, when you click like or dislike, you join the network, together to create others’ experience, and that’s where the name comes from.
Let’s talk more about Kojima’s game. In Death Stranding, you could only like other’s buildings/signs or delete them in your own game if you really hate them. So no negative things can be spread. I think that’s kind of unrealistic but the original intention is good. So in my design, you can see who else also like the video if you clicked like, but not so when you clicked dislike.
There are also many details that cost me some time to think about it, like the animation in the start screen. It’s a portrait, but if you stay on this screen for long time enough, you will see it become more any more creepy, unrecognisable. I try to make a metaphor there. But I guess they are all not important.