Process

What is it really about?

Instagram is unrealistic and to get straight to the point: Instagram is all fake. We constantly want to prove to ourselves that we have an "oh-so-wonderful" life, when in reality, this is 9 out of 10 times not the case. This causes us to create a different identity. Nowadays Instagram is a kind of portfolio / resume where we present our best selves on, while Instagram still remains a personal app. This personal approach in combination with the genuineness of the photos ensures that the connection with reality seems increasingly distant. If you are not active on social media, you make it a lot more difficult for yourself to be accepted by your environment, which is active. Almost everyone is up-to-date and once you are not, you may find yourself wandering outside that circle. It's really about what others of us see and what we see in others ourselves. A kind of spiral in which everyone confirms themselves with only positive affirmations. And when you fall outside that spiral you feel like nothing is wonderful/happy anymore.

I honestly can’t remember the last day I didn’t open Instagram, that alone already indicates how addictive Instagram is for me. I constantly feel this kind of pressure, the pressure to post every aspect that’s interesting about my life. I see other people do that as well, I find it interesting that they only post the good parts though, it seems like in the Instagram world no one ever has a bad day. And everyone’s always on vacation. Maybe Drake was right;

"There are people who save pictures from places they flown. To post later and make it look like they still on the go."

We create this image that’s almost impossible to uphold.
But that’s not even the worst part, the self-doubt and insecurity that I struggle with on a daily basis -If I can be so honest- is (not alone, but for a big part) a result of Instagram. Seeing people my age and even younger accomplish so many big things (without even an ounce of failure), can make me really insecure sometimes, because I feel like I’m not there yet, not at all, but I want to be.

Who do I want to be online? My online identity is at risk. For me personally, Instagram has become 'a measuring tool'. We went from innocently sharing fun photo's to who is the most successful or perfect? Questions like: "What do you do and what do you create?" Linked to the underlying question: Who has the most followers and the most likes, a "real" profile meaning purchased robot followers or real human followers. Brand awareness linked to the online succes. From art- and design, artists to influencers. The amount of followers based on the succes of the artist, the work, or the projects and the collaborations. The more followers, the more famous the work, the more valuable the work.

The digital world has become a constantly. A constant race with updating and staying up to date. Seeing and being seen. As a result, doubts about myself keep growing and my online profile keeps getting smaller and smaller. Instagram has become your own business, maintaining your own business is important. But is it really my own? In what way am I further hindered and drawn into this? What consequences does it have on my work and self-image, but also on my buying behavior?

In addition to the online success, I also notice that I follow the fashion trends and that I am extremely susceptible to this. Beautiful photos of the same pair of shoes, styled and photographed by different influencers influence my buying behavior enormously. Who do I want to be online?

When I use Instagram I feel the pressure of showing my creativity on my profile, because I see it on other profiles. I feel I compare myself a lot with other creatives, not only the things they make, but also the tools they use. I often find myself looking for the same equipment online so I can create the same things. This comparison to others is actually what Instagram is all about. It is not about sharing your photos with others, but actually about comparing yourself to others. Every time you post something because you saw someone else do the same thing, you create another reason for others to post the same thing, because they saw you do it. This is a never ending circle and is how trends are being formed.

Do you post to make others feel good or for yourself to feel good? Why would you want to show this to people? Do people even want to see this of me? Will people look at me differently after I post this? These are questions I ask myself when I want to post something, but I think the core should be that I am proud of this and I want to share it, no matter what other people think of it. But will it ever be that way?

What do we think of each other when we see each others instagram pages?

Do we see each other the way we want to be seen?

Or does the online image that we create for ourselves actually conflict with who we are in real life?

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That's the start of our concept, let's expand our concept by orientating and gathering information

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Exchanging articles, visuals, videos and more via social media platforms

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This video was the main source for inspiration for how we wanted to visualize our concept/tell our story

The visuals we exchange can be a start of our house style + give us an idea of how we want to represent our concept

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Getting to the core of our project

< vision
research >

What is posthumanism?

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Instagram,
trends, the endless cycle, influencers,
consuming,
a market based on insecurity

We're constantly trying to change ourselves

Do we post pictures on instagram to make ourselves feel good or to make others feel good?

Faces being changed, lips being plumped, (by) using filters for selfies, editing photos

"A person or entity that exists in a state beyond being human."

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We want to interrupt this from happening,

and since it's all happening online, why not interrupt this process with glitches?

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Brainstorming about the name and logo

ideas >

observations

analyzing
each others instagram

Tijdlijn opname

intro: afspraak bij Beauty L@b

Concept: Voorspelling 2050 Beauty L@B//
a digital clinic: nieuwe beauty feature van instagram
Voorspelling 2050

Frame 1:

- Melissa loopt de ruimte in en gaat op de stoel zitten
- Robot L@B: Hi, Welcome Melissa bij instant: L@B// (getypt + voice over in robot)
- “Hi Melissa, welcome @ the instant:L@B// . What face would you like to choose today?

- How does social media have an impact on our behavior?
- Specify behaviour:
- Who is actually most influenced by social media (categorize; age, gen-z, women, black/white)
- Our universal experiences
- The differences in what we post.

Analyse + Focus on the following:

1. Schermtijd
2. Focus op IG
3. Bijhouden invloed op je gedachtes waar blijf je mee zitten
4. Fake / manipuleren bijhouden filter apps, facial structure
5. Schoonheidsideaal op IG
6. Welke idealen worden van je verwacht
7. Wat zie je hiervan/wat valt je op/wat beïnvloed jou hiervan in IG
8. Wat is jouw negatieve ervaring op instagram?

Previous Presentation (first)
As a group we are focussed on identity, behavior and influences within pop culture. The (digital) impact in advertising on behavior, body image and fashion with a strong colorful combination of manipulation.
so finally we came to the next questions:

(Voorbeelden noemen aan de hand van beeld, wat is manipulatie, welk body image, welke contrasten worden er aangeduid, in welke cultuur, internet culture pop culture, advertising)

Afsluiten met twee vragen
1. To what extent has my behavioral pattern been influenced by pop culture
2. To what extent does popculture (advertising) have a negative effect on how I see my body

Post /-/uman
Post /-/ U man
Postdrift
Human post
Post U man
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/-/uman Upload
/-/uman Edit
Data /-/umam
Data

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De post
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u:post//

Time to
experiment

noa's collages

janey's collages

melissa's collages

sima's collages