Invisible trace by Laran Di
In today’s society, no one doesn’t use digital media, and by using an example of Instagram, which is the most frequently used by people, to engage with the audience and create empathy. “Velocity is consider a key attribute of Big Data. rather than data being occasionally sampled …. . Big data are produced much more continually.” (Kitchin, R., & McArdle, G. 2016) When we upload our photo, the system picks it up and passes it on to the backend at the same time. What if this information is used by the bad people? Will I still have privacy? “Today, users share a staggering 1.4 billion images daily through social media.”(Broz M, 2024) Posting photos on social media platforms is a commonplace thing, and people are unaware of the artificiality behind it and are therefore more engaging for the viewer to explore the story beyond it. In the exhibition, it was interesting to see how the audience reacted to the glitches with surprise, and how the audience discussed the plot of the story and wondered what would happen to it. I was pleased that my work was able to provoke curiosity and thought in the audience. The first half of the film is very cosy, with warm colours. In the second half of the film, the warm yellow tones are replaced by cooler colours, with blue and black filling most of the scenes. This contrast and contrast conveys the storyline and attracts the audience better. Most part of my work was shot in the living room, where the mise-en-scene, as well as the warm yellow tones of the home subtly fit the theme of the exhibition, ‘Home sweet home’.
In the past, digital media gave me a feeling of convenience, but after going through this semester digital media provoked a feeling of weirdness and uneasiness. Digital media provides instant communication and the ability to easily connect with family and friends no matter how far away they are. At the same time, the extremely fast-spreading speed of the internet allows us to stay in touch with the world by having the latest information at our fingertips. And it was the convenience of it that gave me a sense of unease. While reading ‘What makes Big Data, Big Data’ I learnt that data from our social media platforms is recorded in real-time, which means that it is transmitted to the central service. I explored this issue in depth in my work. The girl in the video represents us in our lives, and the hacker is the central system of these digital media platforms. In the transfer of data to the central service, the platforms can collect the time, device and even the location of the photos. The hacker collects information about the photos posted by the girl and thus finds her exact address. That’s a creepy thing. It feels like someone is watching you in the shadows all the time, yet you don’t know it. Metadata tracking makes me think that technology knows more about a user than people think. As if it’s like a hidden observer is creating a digital profile of my life. I often feel like my phone listens to what I say. In the film, the girl accidentally trips and falls, and a little while later her phone recommends spraining spray. Don’t think it’s outrageous, because it’s a story that happened to me. Through my production I learnt that “your phone is listening for you rather than listening to you…. . phone is listening for key words not necessarily listening to your conversation” (Nicholls R, ABC news) Some platforms recommend relevant content by looking at a user’s past purchases, browsing history etc. While this collection of data optimises the user experience to some extent, it poses a risk to user privacy. If the platform does not protect this data poses a great risk to the user’s privacy.
In week 6 I produced metadata for a photograph and it was where my idea from. I wanted to create a piece that conveyed the feeling of digital uncanny, embodying the potential risks that data poses to the user. The suspenseful and scary atmosphere are created through the use of glitch effects. “The glitch has become a key signifier in contemporary ‘found-footage’ horror…” (Cameron 346) Glitches often can blur the viewer’s vision to hide information, adding to the sense of suspense and intrigue of the image. Therefore I determined to complete my work in the form of a horror. Immediately after finalising the idea, I wrote a script to communicate my idea with the actors and made changes. However, the production process was not all smooth running. After filming I noticed that all the footage about the phone had strobe streaks appearing on the phone. This made it difficult to see what was on the phone. Later in class, Steph told me this could be eliminated with PR’s garbage matte. However, Steph nudged me through. The strobes unexpectedly fitted in with my theme, the streaks looked like a fault in the phone and gave it a strange feeling. So in the end I didn’t eliminate these strobes.
Collaboration is the key. Although I am working on a personal project, I also need to communicate with the actors. After I finished the script and shot list, I arranged a time to meet with the actress to share ideas. I felt that the director and the actors needed to be in constant communication to ensure that the actors understood the motivations, emotions and expressions of the characters better. We worked out the schedule and requirements before the shoot to minimise unnecessary waiting time and increase productivity. After editing the video, I sent it to her and she gave me a lot of valuable comments on it, which I also modified to improve the quality of the work. I learnt through the production that it is important to listen to other people’s opinions. As a creator, it is easy for me to be limited by my own point of view and overlook the details of my work. Feedback from others often reveals blind spots that I have not noticed, and makes me realise what I can do to improve my work.
Data is the core idea of my work. If I keep working on this, I’ll try to cut the part before the climax as short as possible, but make sure I don’t lose the details. Audiences are more engaged when they see a short, rich piece of work. Refine how the user’s data is being collected silently. With a concise narrative coupled with a strong visual impact, viewers are more willing to become emotionally invested and are more likely to be driven by the mood of the piece.
Through this semester I have gained a deeper understanding of digital media. Is like a utopia where people express their true emotions, and thoughts or shape a new identity. Online we are generating data every day, these data are the traces we leave on the internet. As I mentioned before, digital media keeps us connected to the world and I think it would be impossible not to use digital media, but from now on I think I will be more careful with my privacy settings to make sure that no information will be leaked.
Reference:
Broz M (2024) “How many pictures are there in 2024?” photutorial, accessed 27 October, https://photutorial.com/photos-statistics/
Kitchin, R., & McArdle, G. (2016). “What makes Big Data, Big Data? Exploring the ontological characteristics of 26 datasets.” Big Data & Society, accessed 27 August, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951716631130
Cameron, A. (2017). “Facing the Glitch: Abstraction, Abjection and the Digital Image”. Indefinite Visions: Cinema and the Attractions of Uncertainty. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, pp. 334-352, accessed 19th August https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781474407137-022/html#Harvard
ABC News In-Depth (2023) “Is my phone listening to me?” YouTube, accessed 19 October, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPQH6JaAQrQ&list=LL&index=6&t=21s