The Filter Bubble and Murmur

作品賞析

The term tongwenceng or “stratosphere” in English is a proper term in meteorology, but in Chinese Internet slang, the term has also developed a different meaning, roughly equivalent to “echo chamber” in English. It refers to people with similar beliefs or opinions on a specific topic who gather together on an Internet platform and even form exclusive groups. Shen Xin-You’s creative works all relate to dreams and virtuality. This particular work begins from social observation and depicts a scene that resembles that of a religious ritual. The figures in it have no eyes—implying that they are blind, having given up thinking about things and can no longer distinguish between truth and falsehood. In the end, they can only continue to murmur in whatever stratospheric comfort zone or “echo chamber” they have chosen. The long, narrow composition visually strengthens the narrowness and paranoia of this stratosphere. At the same time, Shen uses consistently full, bright colors with the distinctive plastic feeling of acrylic paint to heighten the unreality of this virtual world.