"The New Looking Glass" Social Media and Its Distortions of Reality
Open AccessAbstract of Thesis “The New Looking Glass” Social Media and Its Distortions of Reality “The New Looking Glass” is an exhibition organized on the premise that social media is distorting the lives of its users. It materializes these distortions in a physical environment that presents the works of six artists; each of which correlates to a psychological distortion about how social media has preyed on the human mind. In this exhibition, social media, a tool founded on the idea of strengthening community connections, is dissected into parts to uncover the manipulations it employs on its users. Research by scientists, psychiatrists, and psychologists supports the deleterious effects social media has on the psyche. This evidence concludes that six behavioral outcomes have been seen in those who use social media: 1) social media creates a zombie mentality; 2) social media fosters a distorted reality; 3) Social media condones representing a skewed self and multiple identities; 4) social media creates fake friendships and a false community; 5) social media is turning its users into hypocrites; 6) social media manipulates its users’ behavior. Through the lens of a distorted community, the six behavioral outcomes are brought to life and put on display in a single environment. Each behavioral outcome correlates to an artwork. The featured works of art are Daniel Rozin’s, "Penguins Mirror", 2015; Leandro Erlich’s "Hair Salon", 2008; Cindy Sherman, "The Centerfolds", 1981; Banksy’s, "Kissing Coppers", 2005; Kyle McDonald’s, "Sharing Faces", 2013; and Bureau Spectacular’s, "Furniture Urbanism", 2015. The exhibition inhabits spatially and visually the feelings of what is real, what is engineered, and what is hoped for. The visitors walk away with an alternative vision of how social media can be perceived in this digitally driven society.
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