Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Category
Visual and Performing Arts (includes Creative Writing; sculpture, painting, video, dancing, music, reading, etc.)
Abstract/Artist Statement
This piece was created as a reaction to the constant connectivity and barrage of content we experience on a daily basis.
These days, anyone with a smartphone or television is bombarded with involuntary information, be it an ad embedded within an app or the 24-hour news cycle. Over time, we become unable to process all the data that's thrown at us, resulting in what's called information overload.
“Information overload arises when the information individuals assess exceeds their ability to accommodate and handle it (Farhoomand & Drury, 2002). The concept of information overload compares ones’ personal information processing ability with information processing demands. In the era of mobile Internet, users are forced to handle too much information.” [1]
This sonic artwork, Media Overload, brings you inside the head of someone who is overwhelmed by this cascade of information, and shows how that person overcomes their anxiety. This is important, because I believe the effects of constant media engagement are understated, and the negative effects can be easily ignored. Sonically illustrating this process is a visceral and unique way to present this reaction to the media landscape.
This narrative based sound walk is a departure from the musical based looping and composition I’m used to creating. Although musical considerations were present while composing this piece, the artistic process here was more attuned to creating a concrete storyline rather than simply inserting what musical element would sound appropriate, the latter of which is most common in my artwork.
To accomplish this I gathered sounds from radio broadcasts and social media feeds, then arranged them in disorienting and overwhelming ways. I then connected those sections with a concrete storyline utilizing self-recorded foley sounds, and concluded the piece with original music. This ending aims to show the listener the positive effects of actively creating rather than passively ingesting.
As a society, we've normalized things like immediately checking our phone when we feel a buzz in our pocket and endlessly scrolling through social media. Culturally, it's important to recognize that these are brand new reflexes, and to be cognizant of when we participate in such actions. This sonic artwork aims to bring awareness to these new societal developments.
[1] Fu, Shaoxiong, Hongxiu Li, Yong Liu, Henri Pirkkalainen, and Markus Salo. 2020. "Social Media Overload, Exhaustion, and use Discontinuance: Examining the Effects of Information Overload, System Feature Overload, and Social Overload." Information Processing & Management (6).
Mentor Name
Michael Musick
Personal Statement
This work is important because of how little time we take to think about how and why we consume media the way we do. It’s also important to recognize how fast we take in massive amounts of information, and how inhuman that can be. It should be considered for a “Best of Gradcon” award due to it’s unique presentation and underlying message. This work is valuable because of what a listener takes away from it. If a listener is disoriented and upset about hearing a cacophonous piece like this, they should ask themselves, why? If someone finds comfort in it, why? These questions could lead to unexpected realizations about one’s self, and that is always valuable, whether you live in Missoula or Paris, France.
Grad Con 2021 Video Presentation Submission
01_ColeGrant_MediaOverload_Title.jpg (17 kB)
02_ColeGrant_MediaOverload_Inspiration.jpg (40 kB)
Media Overload: A Sonic Artwork Depicting Our Media Landscape
This piece was created as a reaction to the constant connectivity and barrage of content we experience on a daily basis.
These days, anyone with a smartphone or television is bombarded with involuntary information, be it an ad embedded within an app or the 24-hour news cycle. Over time, we become unable to process all the data that's thrown at us, resulting in what's called information overload.
“Information overload arises when the information individuals assess exceeds their ability to accommodate and handle it (Farhoomand & Drury, 2002). The concept of information overload compares ones’ personal information processing ability with information processing demands. In the era of mobile Internet, users are forced to handle too much information.” [1]
This sonic artwork, Media Overload, brings you inside the head of someone who is overwhelmed by this cascade of information, and shows how that person overcomes their anxiety. This is important, because I believe the effects of constant media engagement are understated, and the negative effects can be easily ignored. Sonically illustrating this process is a visceral and unique way to present this reaction to the media landscape.
This narrative based sound walk is a departure from the musical based looping and composition I’m used to creating. Although musical considerations were present while composing this piece, the artistic process here was more attuned to creating a concrete storyline rather than simply inserting what musical element would sound appropriate, the latter of which is most common in my artwork.
To accomplish this I gathered sounds from radio broadcasts and social media feeds, then arranged them in disorienting and overwhelming ways. I then connected those sections with a concrete storyline utilizing self-recorded foley sounds, and concluded the piece with original music. This ending aims to show the listener the positive effects of actively creating rather than passively ingesting.
As a society, we've normalized things like immediately checking our phone when we feel a buzz in our pocket and endlessly scrolling through social media. Culturally, it's important to recognize that these are brand new reflexes, and to be cognizant of when we participate in such actions. This sonic artwork aims to bring awareness to these new societal developments.
[1] Fu, Shaoxiong, Hongxiu Li, Yong Liu, Henri Pirkkalainen, and Markus Salo. 2020. "Social Media Overload, Exhaustion, and use Discontinuance: Examining the Effects of Information Overload, System Feature Overload, and Social Overload." Information Processing & Management (6).