Adcredo: The Deep Belief Network: Joey Holder
14 April - 05 May
Free & open to all
Adcredo investigates the construction of belief in online networks, examining the rise of unjust ideologies and fantasies, and how these are capable of affecting our worldview. The advent of digital media has shown that the world is made up of a mass of circulating, disjointed and contradictory information. This multi-dimensional communications network can be easily manipulated by online groups and individuals, which can give rise to new narratives and ideologies. Using research from investigative journalism and social psychology the work takes the form of a speculative association, a corporation where ideologies are disseminated to manipulate people. Conspiracy theory, sci-fact and sci-fi, corporate and religious belief systems are woven together in this multi-dimensional work.
We live in a time of ‘hyperpolarisation’ where we think that people with different political or religious beliefs live in different worlds. Our beliefs are reaffirmed in social media echo chambers whereby abstract manipulation occurs through background algorithmic processes, pulling us further into rabbit holes and making atomized groups. The work operates by holding up multiple mirrors, reflecting different cultural sets of belief systems, to question the very foundations of what constitutes our world view. It uncovers personal journeys that lead to certain convictions and critique the platforms that pitch different belief systems against each other.
The 2016 Brexit and Trump campaigns both used the private company Cambridge Analytica to influence voters during the run up to the UK referendum and the US election. The company combines data mining and data analysis with strategic communication and is known for involvement “in military disinformation campaigns to social media branding and voter targeting”. Cambridge Analytica specifically uses Facebook user activity to create psychological profiles and model personalities. Adcredo will be formed from the research of the technologies involved with these data mining and modelling technologies used by Cambridge Analytica that are used to track these different viewpoints and to manipulate individual behaviour and collective belief.
As we have seen within recent political upheaval in the last two years, popular opinion and attitudes may not be grounded in certain ‘truths’ but based upon the ‘success’ of ideas and beliefs. This is reflected in the logic of ‘Memetics’, where units of information can be replicated across cultural networks.
Adcredo is based around the idea of ‘Synchromysticism’ – the significance of meaningful coincidences with mystical connotation that might emerge through the collective psyche into consensus reality.
Press:
Adcredo is a co-commission between Bloc Projects, Sheffield and Quad, Derby and is kindly supported by The Arts Council England
Images by James Clarkson