Eszter Vigh | The Choice is You{rs}: Cancelled Culture from the Inside Out

 
Cancelled culture happens on a micro scale before traveling outward to the larger community outside of the immediate stakeholders. This project throws the user into a decision maker’s position within a small community, in this case a mid-sized business. The big question being, how does the user choose to react to feedback and perspectives on a problem and what consequences do said reactions have on immediate and outside stakeholders. This decision-making experience is done in isolation, where the user is meant to make decisions based on the information presented to them.

The project has multiple perspectives and multiple endings to match the journey the user takes. The question to consider is what does the project reflect on the users who repeatedly get the same ending? Users are encouraged to engage with the project as many times as they would like with the vague suggestion that they try selecting different decisions. The project in this way is a trap, in that depending on decisions made at key decision nodes, some users will never have the opportunity to prevent an outcome in which they, the user, end up facing backlash in the experience. There are eight unique endings, with a handful only being available on one specific decision-making track. There are two endings which are very common, in terms of the number of times they appear in the code, but that does not mean they will be common in outcome when users explore the project.

From the very first decision node, all choices made are recorded and categorized into two groups: proactive or dismissive decisions. That is, proactive decisions are those which are on the path of greatest utilitarian satisfaction of the population. The dismissive decisions are those which are on the path of other ethical views. The underlying tone of ethics systems comes through in the way decisions are phrased. These value systems range from utilitarianism to hedonism. These categorized decision values are then displayed just past the experience, a haunting reminder that just like with canceled culture, those involved with the situation are closely monitored by external stakeholders. The title of the project even alludes to the greater theme at play which is, what those external stakeholders in the experience choose to do with you based on your decisions.

The originality of the project comes in the form of the medium. This is an audio-based project where the tone, the volume, even the tiny sighs between words all have meaning and value in terms of the decision-making information the user has within reach. There are limited visuals which are meant to keep the user purposely focused on these shifts in tone and little morsels of information which may be missed if there was a more complex visual element. The complexity technically speaking comes from the page structure and the use of more advanced JavaScript libraries which allow for the complex details within the minimalist visuals.

The choice to explore the project is yours, and yours alone.