grahamGrafx

Lightning bugs might just be the perfect metaphor.



For my second year of grad school I wanted to visually represent how virtual social networks have affected my relationships. I wanted to “paint” my Facebook friends as conceptual representation, and not just a data visualization.
I spent a lot time imagining a metaphor that represented my unique perspective on the subject. I initially chose the lightning bug to be my metaphor because of a fundamental emotional responses I’ve felt in their presence, but by studying social media and emergence I discovered that lightning bugs had more to offer as a metaphor.
A group of lightning bugs light pulse synchronized can be seen from much greater distances than by just one bug’s sole light. If you were to imagine a synchronized light pulse to be an idea or meme shared by a group of people the idea becomes more visible and more contagious as the group grows. Steven Strogatz who studies complex systems researched lightening bugs for their oscillators. In short (very short) the bug’s light pulse is affected by rules dictating the pulse rate which is influenced by visible members of the group. Based on the position in the bug’s light cycle the input is revived the oscillator either slows or speeds up eventually resulting in a synchronization. I imagine that these basic inputs and outputs are not dissimilar to the ways in which we communicate through platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Simple inputs and outputs can result in a powerful spread of ideas.



On a more abstract level, and more particular to my own project, a lightning bug’s pulse looks to me like a life force and strong representation of each bug’s uniqueness.
Art finds truth by reverse engineering the human mind. For my art work, Digital Painting: Social Media I hope that I’ve discovered a perfect metaphor that might lead me to new ideas and a broder perspective of online communities. I’m continuing to read about lightning bugs in hopes that it’ll generate new fresh ideas.

What metaphors have you used to describe social networks?