Final Project: Research and sketches

The topic for our final artwork is "Social Media Issues." As social media (including social networking websites and blogs) has become an indispensable part of modern life, various negative issues have come to be associated with it.

When brainstorming, i came up with these concepts.

Timesuck

According to urbandictionary.com, timesuck refers to an activity that is enjoyable but makes you neglect other, more important, things. Social networking websites like Facebook, tumblr, twitter and YouTube perfectly encapsulate the definition of timesuck.

Identity

Some people confuse their personal identity with their online persona. They are overly dependent on their social media accounts, sometimes to the extent where their online persona resonates more than their actual identity. 

Connection/Disconnection

People strive for connection- we want to feel that someone else out there understands what we're going through. However, sometimes in our pursuit of connection (via social media), we disconnect from the people around us.

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Ultimately, I decided to use the puzzle pieces.

Each puzzle piece represents a person. We are connected based on the simple fact that we are human. Social media is popular because it allows us to connect with other like-minded people. Social networks are infinitely useful; they allow for information exchange, provide a platform for people to learn about each other on a new level, and improve connectivity. We can now chat in real time with friends who live thousands of kilometres away, and talk to friends who share a mutual love for Marmite or obscure 19th century authors. 

However, there is always a flip side; some of us find social media so engrossing, we are addicted. We obsessively check facebook and twitter feeds, update instagram with our latest food photos and 'refresh' celebrity gossip websites. This can affect our relationships with people. How many times have you walked past a table of friends where everyone is so engrossed in their mobile device they haven't said a word to each other?

The basis of this concept is the fact that puzzle pieces, like people, fit together. Unless they are torn apart. In this case, it is the overuse of social media that has driven a wedge between the people (represented by the puzzle pieces). They have drifted apart, and each is isolated. Our pursuit of connectivity has torn us apart in pursuit of an alternate reality (our online life). 

This is a problem present in all our lives, to varying extents. Restaurants have rules regarding cellphone use at tables, couples fight over one member's need to photograph, tweet and geo-tag every time they're on a date. Worse still, some couple sit at opposite ends of the table, totally engrossed in their phones; their partner hardly registers. These puzzle pieces used to be connected, but they've drifted apart.