Credit/Source: Arcadia Missa/Amalia Ulman

Amalia Ulman, an Argentinian artist, posted a series of photos on her Instagram account in 2014, mostly selfies taken on her phone, that appeared to chronicle her life. She posted about pole dancing classes, having breast surgery, breaking up with her boyfriend and becoming a ‘sugar baby’ to make ends meet. She received criticism from her peers – who believed it all. However, these posts were all part of an art project playing on stereotypes of women online. She had manipulated her followers into believing this fake life.

This is an interesting case that demonstrates how audiences can be easily manipulated through online media. Despite post-broadcast theories regarding active audiences, who are supposed to be critical of media texts, Ulman’s followers easily believed her posts to be the truth.

We discussed in the workshops today some of the cons of social media and the internet. Whilst this means of communication can be instantly gratifying and spread quickly, it is perhaps not as reliable as more traditional media produced by institutions who have to abide by codes of practice. Most audiences who are communicating via social media have no such liability, and it is therefore easy to spread misinformation.

“The idea was to experiment with fiction online using the language of the internet,” said Ulman about the project.