Keywords:
New Media Technologies, Laptop, Black Box Fallacy, Content Convergence, Audiovisual Aesthetics, Sensory Experiences, YouTube, Vimeo, Expanded Cinema, Creative Expression, Close-Ups, Sound Dynamics, Synesthesia, Multiplicity, Sound, Music, Noise, Interactive Device, Immersive, Multisensory, Cinematic Space, Cinematic Time.
Beyond Desktop Audiovisuality (2021)
The essay film Beyond Desktop Audiovisuality was created for a course taught by Dr. Randolph Jordan. It explores the intersection between new media technologies—particularly the laptop computer—and emerging cinematic forms. Drawing on Henry Jenkins’s concept of the “black box fallacy,” the film argues that while devices continue to diversify, content increasingly converges, highlighting the laptop’s role in shaping new audiovisual aesthetics. The project questions how laptops, in conjunction with platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo, enable sensory experiences that extend beyond sight and sound, activating other senses such as touch, smell, and taste.
The essay engages with Gene Youngblood’s notion of “expanded cinema,” positioning the laptop not merely as a convenient tool but as an active participant in contemporary cinematic creation. It examines how the laptop functions as a dynamic and mobile site of filmmaking, opening new spaces for creative expression. The project also references the work of John Richardson and others who explore how audiovisual media can evoke sensory experiences beyond vision and hearing, for example through close-ups or specific sound dynamics.
Experimentally, the project integrates multiple sensory modalities, drawing on theories of synesthesia and multiplicity developed by thinkers such as Stephen Crocker. It investigates how sound, music, and noise can be incorporated into an expanded cinematic experience. Materials sourced from platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo are used, treating these platforms as sensory archives with both historical depth and future potential.
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Ultimately, the project seeks to challenge conventional notions of cinematic space and time by leveraging the portability of the laptop and its role as an interactive device, pushing cinema toward a more immersive and multisensory domain.
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Keywords
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Video Essay, Algorithmic Bias, Post Digital Era, Neoliberalism, Search Engines, Facial Recognition, PowerDynamics, Virtually Gated Communities, ToxicLandscapes, Kaleidoscopic Patterns, Artificial Intelligence, Signal And Noise, Blending Scholarship And Art, Scavenging Tactics, Masking, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Material Thinking, Creative Potential, Cao Fei, Wendy Chun, Joshua Neves, Catherine Grant, Kevin B Lee, Algorithmic Power, Social I nequalities.
Tactics to Redress Algorithmic Bias (2021)
This video essay was completed as the final project for Dr. Joshua Neves’s course. By combining theoretical analysis with artistic expression, the project critically examines the far-reaching impacts of algorithmic bias in the post-digital and neoliberal era, while exploring strategies for addressing and mitigating these forms of inequality.
Structure of the Video Essay
Part I
This section focuses on the destructive effects of algorithmic bias in search engines and facial recognition software. Drawing on the work of Black scholars, it maps the power dynamics that sustain algorithmic inequality.
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Part II
Through 3D modeling, this section presents a post-digital toxic landscape inspired by Wendy Chun’s concept of “virtually gated communities” and by the video art of Cao Fei. Employing kaleidoscopic visual patterns, it evokes the process through which AI distinguishes signal from noise, encouraging multiple interpretations and offering an immersive experience.
Part III
This section proposes strategies for subverting algorithmic power, synthesizing Seaver’s “scavenging tactics,” McGlotten’s concept of “masking,” and broader approaches to confronting algorithmic bias. The video essay concludes with a call for interdisciplinary collaboration to address these issues.
Methodology and Reflection
This video essay integrates scholarly and artistic methodologies, oscillating between academic rigor and a passion for cinema. It draws on Catherine Grant’s notion of “material thinking” and Kevin B. Lee’s insights into the creative potential of the essay film.
Throughout the production process, I reflect on the substantial time investment required by video essay work, as well as the tensions between prioritizing textual analysis and audiovisual expression.
Conclusion
Through this project, I advocate for the video essay as a transformative tool that bridges academic research and film culture, while critically acknowledging the challenges inherent in its production. I emphasize the necessity of collaborative approaches to addressing algorithmic bias and demonstrate the creative possibilities of the essay film form.
Keywords
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1sland, Mobile Gaming, iOS Game, Multiplayer Games, Battle Royale, Paddle Royale, Game Mechanics, Habit Formation, The Habit Loop, Algorithmic Engagement, Notifications and Rewards, Metagaming, Player Agency, Narrative Emergence, Open-World Games, Phatic Communication, Social Presence, Casual Multiplayer, Digital Sociability, Haptic Feedback, Sound Design, Visual Aesthetics, Relaxation and Play, Meditative Gameplay, Cultural Analysis of Games, Walkthrough Method, Ludic Narratives
1sland Walkthrough (2021)
Released on July 20th, 2020, on iOS, 1sland is a multiplayer game designed by Nada Studio. The studio labels the genre as “paddle royale,” recalling the style of battle royale games that promote last-man-standing gameplay, such as Fortnite.
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Players can choose from three avatars: a girl in an iconic yellow raincoat reminiscent of Little Nightmares, a woman in a marinière with a sailor cap, or a benevolent, sophisticated fisherman. Each character offers three skin tones, a thoughtful detail that facilitates player identification and promotes racial inclusion.
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After a brief tutorial, players learn that the main objective is to locate the only island in a vast ocean using three types of navigation tools. Competitions update every four hours, and daily rewards and notifications encourage continued engagement. This system recalls Charles Duhigg’s concept of the “habit loop” and Wendy Chun’s notion of pathologizing habits into addictions, especially visible among players who spend hundreds of hours upgrading sailboats. Top sailors can often find the island within minutes after an update.
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While competitive, 1sland is also a relaxing experience with stunning visuals, immersive sound design, and haptic feedback that warns players of nearby whirlpools. Its open world offers mini-games and “metagames,” allowing players to create personal narratives beyond the original objectives—constructing a game behind the game.
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Despite its beauty, prolonged play can evoke a sense of mundanity. The game allows phatic greetings between players, offering social pleasure that, as Hodge notes in Phatic Communication, arises from the act of social being rather than meaningful interaction. Collaborating with virtual friends added a subtle social dimension to my experience.
Overall, 1sland is a meditative, playful game. Through this walkthrough analysis, I reflected on broader concepts such as phatic communication, habit formation, and metagaming, showing how small design elements bridge technology and cultural understanding.