Alter Media

Passivity, isolation, escapism—there is a long list of negative effects attributed to social media. Now aware of the extensive data abuse, automated opinion manipulation, and unrestrained marketing strategies, many people seem to have lost confidence in digital technologies and online services—although this knowledge does not usually lead to the abandonment of Google searches, Facebook accounts or Apple products. In which ways does this relate to the potential of digital networks as means of emancipation and counter-information, or the ability of virtual realities to create a space for friendship and cohesion? Referencing video artworks from the 1990s and their critical examination of television, Alter Media depicts a broad spectrum of lived experiences with hegemonic media spheres of our time, which differ vastly in places such as Brazil, Kenya, or the Ukraine.