2025 → RUD: Algorithmic Influence
Social media doesn’t just show content — it structures what we believe we chose.
Social media platforms guide user attention through visual patterns, recommendation systems, and emotional triggers.
Users believe they are making choices — but those choices are pre-structured.
Content on these platforms follows repeatable patterns:
- Success is shaped through visual templates
- Identity is constructed as a persona
- Desire is continuously reinforced
Click the image to enter the website
I developed two approaches to intervene in platform perception:
Expose the hidden logic behind content
→ Turning videos into text
→ Revealing scripted personas
→ Uncovering commercial intent
Interrupt habitual scrolling behaviour
→ Mimicking familiar visuals
→ Creating unexpected outcomes
→ Introducing cognitive friction
The website recreates the familiar experience of scrolling through Xiaohongshu.
Subtle disruptions are embedded within the interaction:
- Expected videos become text
- Familiar covers lead to unexpected content
- Navigation creates moments of hesitation
The interaction shifts users from passive consumption to active perception.
User testing showed that:
- Users became more aware of platform influence
- Interaction triggered moments of reflection
- Familiar visuals encouraged critical thinking
This project explores design as a tool for awareness,not just engagement. Design can question the systems that shape perception,rather than reinforce them.