http://whatdomuseumsconnect.kr/programs/1/sad-by-design-we-are-not-sick

In this presentation, Geert Lovink discusses the dark side of the net. The mental state of internet users is tragic. Instead of empowerment and self-organization, what we mostly see around the internet is anger and despair. How did we end up like this? This lecture will zoom in on the widespread techno-sadness that is produced by dominant social media platforms through ‘behavioral modification’ (also known as ‘nudging’) with the aim to keep users coming back to the app, exposing them to even more personalized ads. Instead of empowerment and diversity, we witness a ‘chilling effect’ of hyper conformism, resulting in anger, sadness, depression, and loneliness. This is the social today.

The video was produced by the Korean video artist Oh Jaewoo, using sound from the We Are Not Sick music theory performance album (by Geert Lovink/John Longwalker) and a ppt slide show, put together by Geert Lovink: