Prompt Number Five
BLOG PROMPT FIVE: Subverting Commercial Design
WiFi-SM: Feel the Spectacle of Pain (2003) by Christophe Bruno
PLEASE ANSWER BY POSTING COMMENTS.
What is this artist critiquing, and why do you think he attempts to make his product appear real?
WiFi-SM: Feel the Spectacle of Pain by Christophe Bruno: http://www.unbehagen.com/wifism
French net artist Christophe Bruno examines "network phenomena and globalization." Wifi-SM was created in 2003, so the design may feel somewhat dated, but image you're running across this page on the internet at the time it was released.
As explained by the artist, "You have the impression that the disasters of the world do not touch you anymore? You feel vaguely sorry for other people’s misfortunes but you don’t feel the inner urge which used to make you help your neighbor? WiFi-SM is the solution!"
The artist is critiquing what I believe to be the news/media and our society. The relationship between the two attempts to be differentiated, though they can often be one in the same. In other words, we as a society may try to distinguish or distance ourselves from the terrible things going on in our world, and may even be desensitized to tragedy, but the truth is that we are part of it. I think he wants to make the product appear real because he is expressing that this is not a far off or overly ridiculous concept, but that we as people are closer to this than we think. As a society we are lacking empathy, connection, and the ability to comprehend the magnitude of the news because we have the ability to look away or ignore things, but if such a device was created, we would be forced to face issues much more head on and regain empathy.
ReplyDeleteThe artist here critiques the masses' blindness and unwillingness to help those around them and those in less fortunate situations. Bruno's product, Wifi-SM, is a device you can put on any part of your body to feel the pain of people in less fortunate situations so that you may feel less guilt towards them. He wants this product to feel real because it can be more relatable to our lives if it is advertised as an everyday item. Formatting the website and the ads on each site help hammer this idea home that the product is a very real thing. It goes to show that when art is made with a specific vision in mind, it can appear real, even if the concept is fictitious.
ReplyDeleteI believe this is critiquing so-called advocates who only want to speak out because it benefits them. Individuals feel bad about the awful things in the world, yet they believe they know everything, even when they are just experiencing a small amount of suffering. I believe that he made this website and product appear real because the direction that our world is heading is dystopian and Black Mirror-esque. The pop-up ads and customer reviews further cement the idea that we will resort to anything to ease our ailments.
ReplyDeleteThere could be many things that this artist could be critiquing in this website alone. The fact that this website was not created recently, yet can still appear very prevalent, makes it super effective. It's true that our society has become much more numb, especially with how often horrific events happen on a practically day to day basis. This could be a critique directed at those who advocate for change, but do not ever actually do anything about it. Instead, they are given an option to take on a portion of pain from someone else - which, if this was a real product, would be used as an excuse to continue to not do anything about it. It would turn into the mindset of "I felt some of that pain, so I know what the situation is like" as a basis of "emphasizing" with others without actually doing anything. Also, if reading the reviews, one stands out mentioning pain and pleasure - which can also critique the way that people will always find a way to twist a product even if it's supposedly helpful.
ReplyDeleteThe entire website is a commentary on desensitization and a lack of empathy as a whole. The product, WIFI-SM, is made in this Black Mirror-like way that allows the wearer to feel a fragment of the pain of individuals in tragic situations. It's an "outlet" for one to "take on" another's pain instead of feeling the guilt that would actually create change for those in these situations. It's a dystopian concept-- get rid of the guilt you feel in order to continue walking blindly through your life. Which further leads to the mentality of, "Oh, it doesn't affect me, so therefore why should I care?" That's what the entire product is meant to be. It provides you the pain that will remind you of the problems, but it's the repetition in itself that causes desensitization to the actual issues.
ReplyDeleteThis website touches on the impact of news on the public and makes a comment on the desensitization of the audience. Rather than go out and try to help change the world we live in, customers of the WIFI-SM can now simply "feel the pain" of the victims in news stories and thus making it better. It is sort of a placebo effect as now one can feel the pain of others and beleive those others are not suffering alone when in reality, they have done absolutely nothing to solve the issues at hand or contribute to a solution in anyway. It comments on how many people complain about the harsh realities of the news but never work towards anything to help fix it.
ReplyDeleteI believe this website is critiquing several things. One big issue that it's commenting on is the desensitization we, as humanity, has been plagued with. We're so used to seeing news of horrible things happening across the world, or even in our own country, that we no longer have the same capacity for sympathy as we did before. Following that issue, we don't feel the same drive to make a change as we once did. Because we're so disconnected from the happenings of the world, we feel like we're powerless to help others. Thus, we no longer make an effort to change the world around us. I think the website accomplishes its goal fairly well. The overly cheerful language alongside the fake customer reviews really gives the impression of an out-of-touch corporation trying to market to a modern audience. Additionally, the use of advertisements on the right side gives a sense of realism to the site.
ReplyDeleteI think the artist is critiquing the growing detachment people have from the horrors others experience throughout the world. Specifically in developed countries in peace times, news we hear about the sufferings across the world is not nearly taken as seriously enough. "Out of sight, out of mind," seems to apply in many of these cases, and society does not intervene or push for action to help. Thus, the artists product would help reduce this disconnect, forcing people to feel the pain occurring across the world. I think the artist specifically wants his product to appear real to, firstly, bring attention to the commentary he is making about the detachment and for his audiences to take it seriously. However, I also think the artist poses another commentary by making the product seem real; he is pinpointing the irony of commodifying the pain of others, a jab at capitalism. Instead of advocating for others suffering across the world, the design of his product makes the audiences understand the irony that exists in profiting on a gadget that transfers the pain of others. It is such a twisted proposal (to make money off of pain without actually helping to reduce suffering), but it calls to light the uncaring, capitalist driven minds that exists within developed countries.
ReplyDeleteI think this website could be critiquing a few different things. I think it’s possible that it is critiquing the sort of desensitization of people at the result of seeing and hearing of all the horrible things that happen in the world (with all the focus of death, war, etc.). It could also be a critique of how the internet (and news stations/programs) pushes out and serves up all of these disasters (think TMZ reporting deaths of famous people before their families even hear about it). The website also mentions people feeling guilty a lot, and how they’d rather do the bare minimum to help rather than actually trying to do anything to help. Like this idea of a shock running through your body is some sort of compensation for doing nothing about it. I remember hearing about a similar thing back in school about how some school started charging parents fees if they were late to pick up their children, and that this actually caused parents to be late more often, because now they felt as if though they were absolved of their wrongdoing if they just paid the fine.
ReplyDeleteI think the artist is critiquing how easily people can forget all that is happening in the world because it's not happening to them. It sad because it shows how humans are disconnected from each other. Instead of actually helping someone they would rather buy this product to fill their guiltiness. In a way it's sends a message telling people that they should care more about what's happening around them no matter how far it is from them.
ReplyDeleteThis website sells pain to people who are no longer affected by the suffering of others. I think it is a good way to claim how sometimes we see catastrophes or bad things that happen to people as just news and somehow we get used to it and we don't care anymore. This ad makes pain look like something comedic to make people think about how far we humans would go to fit in and follow the masses in all the new and stupid products that come out that we don't need. I think it is very well thought out and organized to make it look real and that is what makes it more original and attractive.
ReplyDeleteMany people including myself are always consuming some type of media. When we see sufferings of others on the news . We tend to look the other direction. In this website it is showcasing how we should care "more" about the suffering of others in a dark humerus way. I like the reviews below the website. It adds more about the product in the website. No matter what we should consider the pain of others. Regardless if it harms us or not.
ReplyDeleteChristophe Bruno seemingly critiques how desensitized society is to global suffering; we as a society have commercialized and simplified empathy. I think the "Wifi-SM" device acts as a literary device to display how technology and consumer culture turn human suffering into what feels like a movie because it isn't happening specifically to you. The technology piece is even more worrying considering it's an older website from 2003 and there are devices currently out in the world and in production that have similar functions, such as neuralink.
ReplyDeleteWhat the artist is critiquing
ReplyDeleteChristophe Bruno is critiquing the desensitization and detachment people feel toward global suffering in the age of mass media and globalization. He highlights how constant exposure to disasters has made people numb and indifferent.
Why the product appears real:
By presenting WiFi-SM as a real product, Bruno mirrors the language and aesthetics of commercial advertising to make his critique more striking. It draws attention to how consumer culture trivializes serious issues, creating a jarring contrast between the product’s absurd premise and its polished, professional presentation.