Ceren Paydas, MFA ’15
thesis abstract
Name: Ceren Paydas, MFA ’15
Thesis cover
Our world is saturated with personal data. So much so that personal data is a sought after commodity that readily feeds an infrastructure of surveillance. This infrastructure is driven by the algorithms created by corporations that govern it. These systems of surveillance control us by using our past behavioral data to shape our opportunities and manipulate our future behaviors. The more these systems know about us, the more they filter and algorithmically shape our decision-making opportunities. The result is a continuous spiral of data collection and forced identity augmentation. When the systems that govern our society are capable of such control and manipulation, we lose our perception of self and become vulnerable under their gaze. Sous, Inc. explores how dynamic media technologies can expose the invasive existence of surveillance and, act as a shield of privacy. Their products investigate an alternative lifestyle in the modern world of digitized information.