POSTIMAGE AND ECONOMIC UNCONSCIOUS

As artificial intelligence and algorithms increasingly govern our visual landscape, they transform images into active agents that mold perception and behavior, often beyond individual control. This results in a feedback loop where users are simultaneously consumers and consumed, pulled into an attention economy that profits from perpetual engagement. Algorithms perpetuate self-surveillance and hypervisibility, making users feel constant pressure to conform to idealized versions of themselves. This phenomenon aligns with Hoelzl and Marie’s concept of "softimage," where images exist as distributed, collaborative constructs produced by human-machine interaction. These images do more than depict reality—they create it, driving data flows and feedback loops that fuel the global economy and entrench individual identities within a commercial framework.

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Script: Liviu Poenaru