Medium Impact
Mengqi Shen
Social media platforms have emerged as a key channel for information dissemination, however, not everything is transmitted accurately. Content is frequently altered by its medium in this complex digital environment. Medium Impact examines how this reshaping leads to information one-sidedness and misrepresentation on X (Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The project seeks to uncover the biases and distortions embedded within these platforms that influence public perception.
From a broad examination through: part one, a printed data visualization poster (Medium Impact: Uncovering Information One-sidedness); and part two, an acrylic installation (Medium Impact: Observing Information One-sidedness), the study bridges macro-level trends with individual-level case studies. A motion graphic further summarises these insights, illustrating the full scope of medium impact on information dissemination.
The data visualization poster focuses on three critical areas: 1) User Variable Factors—how audience demographics and behaviors impact platform content engagement; 2) Platform Content Focus Factors—investigating how platforms' algorithms and subject emphases affect what becomes visible and how; 3) Information Distortion Factors—revealing the discrepancies in factual accuracy and the extent of misinformation spread.
The installation explores five distinct topics on social media, dissecting their representation from a universal event like a meteor sighting to intimate personal experiences. By employing a pixelated aesthetic, an “information blur” effect emerges, illustrating how events become mediated and misrepresented as one-sidedness by social platforms.