DD16

Final Synthesis Design Studio

2020/2021

Phase 2

Data as Artifact

In the second phase of the course students learn how to make use of online data to study social and cultural phenomena: in a question-driven process, each group design protocols for data collection, analyze data and produce research findings using data visualizations. The outcome of this phase is an interactive research report.

Each report focuses on a specific issue: apps for face and body modifications; the aesthetic of conspiracy theories; the politics of content moderator jobs online; hashtag hijacking and other kinds of digital activism; the relationship between digital platforms and physical places; automation and content farms on Youtube.

The Tube Trap: An analysis on YouTube’s content farms made for kids

Claudia Maria Cutrupi, Sara Ferrini, Beatrice Maggi, Gaia Panfoli, Isabella Possaghi, Virgilia Ramella

YouTube is one of the most used platforms to entertain kid, so popular that it overcame television. Group 1 investigated how content farms on the platform can trap young watchers for hours, consuming anything recommended, as decided by YouTube’s algorithm.

Stan Wars: the rise of a new army

Caterina Comini, Lorenzo Di Leonardo, Francesca Maria Mauri, Virginia Migliorini, Fabiola Papini, Sofia Peracchi, Emily Maria Salmaso

Through this research, group 2 wanted to analyze the phenomenon of stan groups’ online activism in its complexity, trying to provide different points of view about it. How is it perceived by the media and the public?

It Looks Like a Conspiracy Theory

Elisa Finesso, Elena Gibelli, Federica Laurencio Tacoronte, Andrea Mario Morandini, Jacopo Sironi, Marco Valli

Conspiracy theories are living their Golden Age*: fostered by online platforms and social media, they have been spreading among people in different ways. Group 3 analyzed how the crowdsourced nature of conspiracy theories affects the visual language in which they are expressed.

Instagram-fueled Tourism

Martina Andreotti, Elena Buttolo, Marco Gabriele, Alessandro Parca, Federico Pozzi, Andrea Silvano

Instagram forever changed the way we approach traveling and tourism digital advertising. Have you ever been to a place just because of someone else’s picture on social media? It’s called social media-fueled tourism. Group 4 decided to better understand why and how this happens.

5 MINUTE NOT-SO-MAGICAL CRAFTS

Sneha Baliga, Julia Chlastacz, Dang Trung Nguyen, Marija Nikolic, Bogdan Novakovic, Preeti Puri, Chenyun Zeng

5-minutes crafts is the biggest DIY YouTube channel on the platform and it has been classified as content farm given the amount of videos and repetitive content. Group 05 analysed what factors contribute to increased viewership, and wich other aspects get the viewer’s click.

The Web Cleaners

Content moderator was described as ‘the worst job in the US’. Content moderators are paid to view objectionable posts and decide which need to be removed from digital platforms. This research aims to make people more aware of who content moderators are and how their situation is.

The Algorithmic Body: Fitness Apps And Photo Editors

Songwei Duan，Yuting Jiang，Ruting Lin，Chunhai Liu，Yuan Liu，Xueyue Wu

Group 7 analysed photo editor apps through different platforms. TikTok, in its chinese and western version; Meitu Xiuxiu, China’s most popular photo sharing app; Keep, China's largest fitness community; Google Play, store of the most popular picture editing applications.

The invisible battleground of hashtag hijacking

André Calderolli, Fatemeh Goodarzi, Johannes Longardt, Fernanda de Alba, María Paula Vargas, Priscila Yoshihara, Yunrui Zhu

Group 8 research revolves around the invisible battleground of hashtag hijacking. Social media platforms are, among a lot of other things, stages for debate and discussion but what can be learned from the little tags people leave on their posts?

@conspiracy sent u a pic

Giulia Baraldi, Cecilia Gaetarelli, Alia Kaouel, Tim Olbrich, Valentina Pallacci, Alessia Rodler, Vera Salvaderi

Conspiracy theories are built by a community of people as shared knowledge. Platforms like IG and TikTok are used to create imagery around conspiracy theories. But how does it happen? Group 9 analyze what makes the aesthetic of conspiracy theories so catchy on Social Media.