Alexandra Ní Laoghaire
Surveillance is on the rise generally both in our physical and digital worlds, how do we break cycles of normalcy bias and irresponsible convenience when it comes to surveillance in real life and online? [SCRAPING] is an immersive and interactive awareness campaign in the form of a video game that asks players “Do you want to live in a surveillance state?”
My main objectives in this project were firstly to highlight the absurdity of accepted forms of surveillance in our lives and ask people to critically question the social impacts of new tech developments, and secondly to erase normalcy bias surrounding surveillance and ask people to consider where we will end up if we continue on our current trajectory of surveillance technology. To achieve these objectives I aimed to create an awareness campaign that sticks with people and sparks active and memorable engagement.
What if there was an organisation creating interactive and immersive awareness campaigns on privacy violations in tech that asked people to consider their current and future right to privacy? Digital Liberties IE is a non-profit organisation that advocates for and raises awareness about the responsible and ethical use of new technologies whilst protecting peoples right to privacy. [SCRAPING] is an immersive campaign in the form of a video game developed by Digital Liberties IE as part of their ongoing work asking the public “Do you want to live in a surveillance state?”
Advertising has long struggled to keep up with or recreate Meme Culture successfully. This thesis argues that the best way to engage with meme culture as a company is to outsource the creation of advertisements to current content creators who understand their audience and how they engage with memes. This thesis will examine how and why certain traits of the internet have led to highly individualistic media consumption and analyse meme culture and to better understand why it is so difficult for companies to recreate. This thesis will compare two case studies. The second chapter will examine how companies first started to engage with meme culture through traditional and digital media by taking a look at some examples of the use of memes in advertising by American fast-food chains around 2015. The third chapter will compare those examples to today's landscape of meme marketing by taking a look at how NordVPN successfully engages with meme culture indirectly through its sponsorship of YouTubers. Through this comparison, we can begin to understand how advertising has evolved over the years to adapt to this new form of communication and these new channels of distribution.
Dia dhuit! My name’s Alexandra but my friends call me Sasha! In my designs I like to create experimental, impactful and bold graphics. I’m particularly passionate about type, print, motion and experiential design. I like to start every new project with a completely open mind to any possibilities. In my free time I enjoy photography and drawing letters in my sketchbook.
