When I was still young and idealistic (or maybe naive), I thought that whatever is put out on legitimate media is “the truth”. But when I started university and I got to see how everything in mass media and mass communication works, I finally understood that there may be a lot of agenda setting and disinformation behind the scenes. Especially now in this media landscape, it’s getting more difficult to sift through the actual information and misinformation/disinformation.
Niice Studio has responded to this post-truth reality with a conceptual device named TOTEM. This screenless, sculptural tool aims to navigate media misinformation not by acting as a direct fact-checker, but rather as a barometer, subtly indicating shifts in informational patterns, pressure, and overall volatility. It operates on the principle of translating abstract fluctuations within the media environment into tangible, sensory forms. Instead of presenting raw data, it offers a more nuanced system of feedback through physical, tactile means.
Designer: Niice Studio
The device analyzes incoming media content, including headlines, images, and textual posts, identifying known falsehoods. However, its intervention is not one of outright censorship or blocking. Instead, TOTEM introduces visual placeholders or subtle redactions, creating spatial gaps or minimal warnings that signal the presence of unreliable elements before the user fully engages with the content. It’s made up of three interconnected units working as a unified structure.
TO1 is the insight visualized that generates daily printed discs as a representation of either the stability of disruption of media patterns. Imagine that it’s like printing a coin to represent the news. A normal coin means the news was pretty reliable. A weird-looking coin means there was a lot of shaky or false information going around.
TO2 meanwhile is the responsive alert system which performs a physical action when it detects lies or verified distortions. This part is like a built-in alarm. If TOTEM sees something that’s definitely a lie, it will do something you can notice right away – maybe it will change color or shake a little to warn you. Lastly, the TO3 is the background content filter that analyzes media and replaces falsehoods with visual placeholders or subtle redactions.
The way they described things is still very conceptual and how it will work in real life as it is screenless and symbolic is pretty vague. But it’s an interesting vision for a future where technology aids in media literacy not through direct intervention, but through subtle, sensory cues that empower individuals to critically assess the information they encounter. The project sparks a conversation about alternative approaches to tackling misinformation, moving beyond the reliance on screens and direct data output towards more embodied and intuitive forms of media consumption.
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