S.E.A Reading Response #4

Social media platforms were created to connect people across the world and create meaningful bonds between them, we see this from the subjects in ‘The Social Dilemma’, they describe the early use of these platforms with child-like naivety. Throughout the film, these creators state how worried they are about the future given how insidious these social media websites are in the present, despite being the ones who laid the foundation for the mess we are in in the first place.

I was very frustrated watching this film but then I began thinking about ‘intent’. The social media designers in the film kept mentioning that it was never their intention for the platforms to become so horrific. The intention of a piece by the creator may be seen and used completely differently by the users/viewers. This can be seen in Chole Bass’s article ‘Reflection from Nowhere’, where she lists the different ways protests and political movements have been ushered into existence using social media. Movements like Black Lives Matter and the Arab Spring began on social media. It was never the intent of these websites to be used in this way but the users changed it.

I believe the same can be said about SEA. I as the creator can craft a piece about anti-capitalist rhetoric and the viewers may see it completely differently and thus in turn change the perceived intent of the art.