Do we design social media culture or does it design us?
Yesterday I watched a fantastic video analysis of the 80’s pop-art sensation, #KeithHaring. It inspired me to draw something off the cuff using Haring’s memorable style. I was always attracted to Carl Jung’s ability to conceptualize the mysterious ramblings of the unconscious and ink down his visions (check out The Red Book to see his art), yet I had never attempted to put pen to paper without a plan. Well, this is the weird shit that came out.
There’s certainly a lot to unpack. I see the snake swallowing the human as a form of the reptilian brain taking over. Its tail is tied to the ‘upvote’ and ‘downvote’ icons on the computer, maybe showing the link between our primal needs and what we deem valuable in society. The human is jacking it to social media showing how we get off on the ‘likes,’ taking pleasure from this new form of social currency. There are a lot of happy and sad faces in the background detail. The mouse, well ya that’s a mouse.
But it begs the question, does our ability to regulate social media via upvotes and downvotes mean that we’re the ones directing modern culture? Or are we just victims to the reptilian brain ‘liking’ photos of IG thots and getting off on notification-based dopamine hits? I mean, that shit does feel good.
Or is this just a dude jacking it while getting swallowed by a snake? Shiiiiit.
Stay curious, my friends.