This session is facilitated by Shaikh Irtiza Nasar
About this session
This is an installation that begins by enticing the user to come participate in a free game to win their desired candy. The illusion implies that users might get candy for free if they participate while hiding the fact that the transaction is in fact not free and its their data that they’re paying with.
The candy machine has been designed for discrete data collection without alerting the user and clearly mentions its mechanisms within its terms and conditions which the users accept when they begin to use the machine. This mimics the same unethical practices of a multitude of online social media platforms.
The data collected by the Sugar Cafe is processed through an algorithm to infer things about the user and determine the best mix of candy according to the their personality - they may never receive the candy they earned in the game.
Goals of this session
The goal of the session is to highlight the gamified transactional nature of platforms while using sugar as an analogy for addictive harmfulness. By isolating transactions and the gamified characteristics of the user experience within these platforms the aim is to highlight the value of personal data and question the mechanisms of an algorithmically driven society.