Likegeil

In 2021, the average German spent 84 minutes per day on social networks. That’s almost 10 hours a week and over 500 hours a year. Or, put differently: we spend 21 days a year just on social media. But what makes platforms like Instagram and TikTok so popular? What do validation and ratings have to do with it? The exhibition module "Likegeil" explores these questions.

Exhibition element

In a room film that addresses visitors on a visual and auditory level, we show how a single comment influences the Instagram algorithm and what it can trigger. The exhibition module consists of two visual elements: an interactive touch display positioned in the center and a large-scale projector that complements the touch display and on which the room film is played. In addition, the room is filled with the sound of the film via surround speakers.

Flow

At the beginning of a run of the exhibition module, the projector surface is black and only the interactive screen is illuminated. It displays the standby display of a smartphone. Motion sensors detect when visitors approach the exhibition module. Then a notification pops up on the home screen that visitors can touch. In the following, an Instagram post is displayed to them, which they can comment on with a sentence of their choice. This interaction triggers one of three room films, depending on the choice.

Multi-User-View

At the beginning of the room film, only the touch display and one additional screen are visible. Gradually, more screens appear, until visitors can simultaneously observe the events in the comment section of the post from the perspective of three different social media users. In addition, a narrator explains the basic mechanisms of Instagram to the visitors.

Positive Comment

This video shows the process of the exhibition module when the visitor chooses the positive comment.

Negative Comment

This video, created with Adobe After Effects, shows the simulated process of the exhibition module when the visitor chooses the negative comment.