Hack #4
Curious Chipmunk’s “Evolution of Technology” (my 4th Hack) is a critique and ironic piece that evaluates the evolution of technology and its impact on society. I produced a video on TikTok inspired by some videos I have seen on the platform. Recently, my FYP has had numerous videos calling for better data security methods and less access to data by platforms, especially after the TikTok ban, when individuals found out about how much risk we agree to when joining these apps. I find it very ironic that people are sharing their concerns about data commodification on a platform known for collecting immense amounts of personal data and has gotten in trouble before for leaking individual information.
As for the rules of the project, we were instructed to include three distinct time periods, four sources, and three types of media, critique a cultural concern, and break one of the rules. My intent was initially to break the three types of media; I was just going to use video and sound. However, after watching my Hack with just these two elements, I realized my critique was not quite strong enough because the irony did not come across in the manner that I wanted. So, I decided that adding text–the thought bubbles and the gifs–would provide the necessary amount of contrast to produce an ironic piece. Ultimately, I broke the rule of breaking a rule, ironic in and of itself.
My process started with me thinking of a topic of interest, which, of course, ended up being a critique and exploration of the technological world. This is something that continues to be of interest to me through this class, as well as my other classes, where I am learning about surveillance culture and artificial intelligence. I continue to stumble upon fear of the future and what it holds in the technological world. Technology is not always seen as a positive now. Even a couple of years ago, it would have never been a question of whether technology was helping or hurting the field of academics and student performance. However, now, this is a real debate that has occurred in my studies. This was when I decided to do the voiceover to foreshadow the shift in perception of technology as the video progressed. Rather than keeping the sound from the clips, this added another element of irony because of the chipmunk effect that I decided to use.
Another important part of my critique was to show how technology has changed our perception of its role in our lives. In the late 20th century and early 21st century, it was seen as a tool to help us complete tasks and speed up various processes. However, with the invention of social media and platforms like TikTok, that role has shifted. It is not just a helper now; it is an entertainer and predictor. Algorithms have the ability to know us better than our own family and friends. These types of technology seek to understand and control our behaviors, not just help us perform tasks more diligently. Additionally, in order to nail down the point of the new risks of technology, I needed to add a clip that demonstrated its downfalls. I decided to include something that most people would care about: their social security number. I personally know how damaging it is to have your SSN stolen, and it shows people how much of your identity is available to be breached or leaked just by having an online presence.
I originally started creating my video on Adobe Premiere Pro, but I realized it would add more depth and commentary if I were able to actually generate the video using TikTok features. Shockingly, it ended up being a much more simple and streamlined way. Adobe Premiere and other high-tech, expensive platforms used to be the only place for people to edit and mash-up videos to a great extent. Now, I can create a video made up of many clips, with sound, voiceover, and text in a free app on a phone. Creativity is becoming easier to accomplish and access with new technology. I had never made a video on TikTok before, but I mashed everything together and added all of the “extras” in probably two hours from start to finish. When I began this process on Adobe, I had already spent nearly 2 hours converting files, lining things up, and refreshing myself on the complicated interface. I believe this reflects a much lower need for skill in order to be creative in the digital art world.
These advancements in technology are what people dreamed of 100 years ago, but at what point do they become a burden? I had a lot of objectives and goals for this Hack. First, I wanted to explore the change in emotions related to emerging technologies: it used to be so exciting, and now it’s almost dreadful when a new computer gets released. Second, I wanted to challenge the TikTok call-for-help videos I have been seeing on my FYP. There is a culture right now of posting to raise awareness for things that would be better suited to be dealt with by real actions or in other ways. People on TikTok calling for greater regulations on data privacy are being completely counterintuitive. Third, I wanted to explore how technology has made creativity and originality more accessible and, therefore, easier to achieve and less special: anyone can produce a video on TikTok, and the probability other creators copy that idea until one of them happens to become viral and famous is extremely high in this cultural climate. Lastly, I wanted to create an overall ironic piece that deals with a highly important topic through the use of sarcasm and non-professional strategies.
