This is a great project by ID student Supreeta Krishnan. It was completed during his master's degree at his RCA in London. This project was done as part of the Object-Mediated Interaction course.
Although we do not know whether social media has a net-positive impact on society, there is no denying that access to social media should be democratized. That's the purpose of this project.
Originally from Chennai, India, Krishnan completed his BA in ID from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.
shooting tools
Physical Tools for Digital People is a set of DIY photography tools for content creators in India to understand the reward mechanisms within social media algorithms. By using cardboard, items found in local stores, and tutorial videos, this project helps creators overcome the disadvantages they face due to lack of resources and knowledge.
In India, social media has enabled many content creators from outside urban areas to gain income, independence, and fame, but the 2020 TikTok ban stripped creators of this income and power overnight. It has become clear that there is a possibility that Given the digital bias that exists in social media alternatives to TikTok, we need to empower creators in local communities to take back control of these platforms through media literacy and access to technology.
As these algorithms continue to be trained to prioritize high-quality, high-production-value content, how can we democratize the filmmaking process to ensure these spaces remain diverse and inclusive? Can it be made into
Screen captures of content creators in India and China
The introduction of 'Digital India' across the state has enabled access to affordable internet, cheap phones and content in regional languages. This has enabled many citizens of India's tier 2, tier 3 cities and rural areas to participate in social media platforms and contribute to the creator economy.
In 2020, the Indian government banned the use of TikTok. This unilateral decision affected many Tiktok users who relied on the app. The majority of them are between 18 and 35 years old and come from tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Tiktok's success can be attributed to its simple interface that overcomes language barriers, library of regional music, easy editing tools, and ability to function even on slow internet speeds. These were features that other platforms (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook) did not have. Instagram Reels displayed a number of biases that can put content creators from marginalized backgrounds at a disadvantage.
Internet nationalism and restrictions on social media access in India are not isolated events, they are global events and are often unquestioned.
Social media platforms rely on user-generated content and have successfully decentralized content creation. But to cater to urban audiences, algorithms prioritize high-quality, curated content like movies, which requires specialized and expensive equipment and reduces the number of people who can participate and the diversity of platforms. Masu.
Through the use of recycled cardboard and other packaging, many low-tech versions of existing photography tools commonly used by creators have been designed. Each shooting tool comes with instructions that explain specific aspects of the current social media platform's algorithms and reward mechanisms. Each tool not only gives you the opportunity to learn about filming content creation, but also how the technology you own can impact your digital presence.
This project has wide-ranging implications for the future of connectivity and mobile phone technology. The coming years will have a huge impact on the freedom and flexibility that the digital space offers. This project speaks to the need to consider people around the world when making these decisions.
Cardboard fittings 1
Cardboard fittings 2
Cardboard fittings 3
Cardboard fittings 4
Cardboard fittings 5
Material Library of Found Objects
This project borrows the format of OpenStructures and aims to grow into a library of crowdsourced materials and cardboard templates that can be combined in different ways to create different photography tools.
Material libraries are created by content creators to share their ideas with other content creators. This could become very popular through the existing DIY culture on platforms like Reels and Tiktok.
DIY short-form tutorials
User Testing – The toolkit was shipped to India for content creators to assemble and shoot. Various aspects of the prototype were tested. Includes details, affordances, and tutorial format. Their feedback was incorporated into the final prototype.
Instructables – It’s interesting to talk to content creators who have experienced TikTok bans to learn how they navigate these spaces and what they understand about these platforms’ algorithms That was it. Just observing how other content creators use these platforms revealed how much they've learned. Many experts assisted me with my research and provided feedback at various points in the project.
Analyzing algorithms and making this information tangible is at the heart of this project. Instructables and DIY TikTok videos are designed for each filming tool, informing content creators how to improve the performance of their films on these platforms. Ultimately, these tool sets and Instructables make content creation equipment more accessible to encourage more DIY and low-tech creation.