Lina Mishachkovska | A Digital Double Comes To Life : Data visualization through animation

 
The digital space is an endless pit where through data collection endless data sets are stored to some end. These data sets are grouped accordingly to their source meaning that every data set generated through data collection belongs to an individual. Consequently, because of the immense data output and collection that happens, the birth of one’s digital double comes to life. One’s digital double is essentially their twin living in the digital space that is equipped and characterized with even their most intrinsic traits gathered through data collection. These doubles exist to fuel online capitalism through targeted advertisements. Essentially, to summarize the point most concisely; our digital doubles are created through our immense data output in the digital space that is collected. This data is collected in the digital space for the purpose of the backbone of online capitalism – targeted advertisements.

This creative rendition depicts the idea of the digital double and its origins by focusing on how the digital double comes to be and by trying to visualize its purpose. The project is a data visualization project through animation. Although every individual generates great amounts of data in the digital space, the digital double in the animation is created from personal data collection through tracking. The animation visualizes data that can be tracked and collected on a day-to-day basis. Tracking sleeping patters, physical activity, workflows, mental states and use of technology (phone, laptop), even tracking interpersonal interactions are things that can be quantified and exist in the digital space as well, however, for this project they were personally both manually and digitally (though apps) tracked. The data collected through this self-tracking is the data visualized through the animation’s activities. This data that simultaneously exists in the digital space generates targeted advertisements based on the information processed about an individual. In the animation, while the digital double is using a phone or laptop, actual targeted ads that were collected as part of the self-tracking method appear in order to visually present the point of the digital double.

In a time of extreme digitalization and tech-oriented developments as well as extensive immersion and amalgamation of the physical and digital world, people, or more specifically, users lose sight of what happens behind the screen they are so attached to. The phenomenon of the digital double based on the numerous digital activities of data collection and processing is a subtle event that is quite important for fueling the advanced form of capitalism that is prominent today. As more of our lives are moving into the digital space, so is the capitalistic structure and it redefines itself. Currently targeted advertising is the backbone of online capitalism and data output and collection is at its forefront. This data visualization project depicts both of those phenomenon through animation.