This project originated out of the desire to highlight the ever-increasing amount of time that we, as a culture, spend in Òdigital worldsÓ. Much like the tangible, physical spaces our lives take place in, our lives are also spent living in these virtual realms. Whether it be through social media, television, or video games nearly everyone spends at least a small amount of their time in these ÒspacesÓ. For many people, the balance of time spent in these alternate spaces continues to shift toward the virtual.
However, the project quickly transmuted as I began to explore these digital spheres.
Photographing from the perspective of a person engaging with these virtual realms, I quickly found that the narratives presented in these spaces were a much more engaging idea than the simple notion of spending time (or too much time) within them. The idealization of celebrity figures and lifestyles, the demonization of misunderstood people, and the sexualization of nearly anything or anyone are commonly found themes within these digital worlds. Media relating to these themes, like photos of famous models, political campaigns, or even pornography heavily influence popular visual culture, which in turn feeds back into these digital spaces. As a result, these spaces are self-perpetuating, creating more and more content to be consumed by audiences, influencing their perception of reality further. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that the most divisive and contentious headlines (like ones relating to hot button topics) are often the ones that garner the most attention.
Sickly sweet and terribly alluring, these digital worlds offer constant engagement. Every swipe of your thumb yields yet another brightly colored image that makes your brain tingle. Here, IÕve plucked a few pieces from the infinite shards of colored glass IÕve encountered in my digital worlds. Distilled down, this is the facet of our visual culture shown to me.