21st century monologue- 2024

21min:10s 5 HD Videos

This work aims to raise awareness about the predicament manipulated by symbols and contexts mediated by the media. In the process of internet development, various media platforms have emerged, each developing its own vitality: they possess their own language, symbols, and cultural backgrounds. While we surf the internet, we are subtly influenced by the cultures behind different media.

I uploaded clips from the most inspiring speeches in American history on several popular internet media platforms, allowing viewers to experience the same image on different platforms.

Speeches, as one of the best means of encouraging and inspiring people since ancient times, have gradually been distorted and engulfed in the process of appropriation and transformation by the unique context developed by internet platforms. Speeches eventually become a silly monologue.

The different visual features of the platform have evolved into filters with contexts and different cultural meanings. In this process, our method of judging information often no longer involves listening or watching; instead, we make judgments beforehand. We have always celebrated living in the age of information explosion, but sadly, in this process of information bombardment, our brains gradually weaken in their ability to accept information. The public has long been numb to the massive amount of information, where the information itself becomes less important. On the contrary, the crucial factor in judging the quality of information lies in the medium rather than the information itself. As McLuhan said: the medium is (decides) the message.