Visual Social Media

In recent years, social media has become an indispensable part of our online presence with number of users reaching billions worldwide. Social media platforms have been instrumental in creating an online space for content and opinion sharing, related to almost every perceivable aspects of modern society involving current affairs, commerce, entertainment, relationships, and governance[REF]. Numerous social media users often pursue social belonging through these platforms. For instance, during the social isolation at the time of the COVID pandemic, many social media users took to sharing their stories of coping with the quarantine by learning various new skills and engaging with activities including baking, exercising or performing arts. However, prior research suggests that interactions in the social media can further increase social isolation, which has a negative effect on the functioning and well-being of individuals, and for solidarity and social cohesion within society. This duality is often caused by the lack of meaningful personal connections established in social media, aggressive filtering and curation of social media content based on users' digital footprint to essentially creating filter bubbles, and the subsequent injection of mistrust in social media platforms from the users. In this project, we aim to redesign the social media interface to incorporate personal connections in a visually salient way.

Team Members

Mahmood Jasim
Foroozan Danesh
Preston Yee
Sheelagh Carpendale
Narges Mahyar