Algorithmic

I must admit that I have become addicted to Tik Tok. The algorithm is just too good. It feels like it is reading my mind, perfectly curating videos that not only align with my interests, but also with my current mood, anxieties, food cravings. It is a little alarming how accurately the videos reflect my current mental state, and how much data they must have on me in order to do so. However, it seems like they are using their powers for good instead of evil, so how much could I mind seeing that I have little to no control? Their ability to curate a feed perfectly tailored to me is something that no other social media platform has accomplished - however, I like that Tik Tok is my only space to go to in order to let go of the responsibility of choosing which content I engage with. I feel like in the near future, platforms like Instagram and Facebook will try to emulate this ability to use data to curate the feeds, but for some reason I don't trust them with that power and would rather not face the fact that those companies have more information on myself than I could ever possibly know. Their intentions don't seem as pure, whereas logically I know they are all corporations looking out for their own profit above all.

The production:

An immersive, participatory production where the audience plays a game with data on other people. There is a host who is running a social media empire, and the audience is working at the control center, with access to the data of hundreds of (made up) people. They then get to decide how to use that data: for good or for evil. It forces the audience to question the power these companies have, and how moral it is to access information and use it for profit. After the show, the emcee will host a discussion with the audience about their thoughts and feelings about the experiment.