Like vs Dislike

Author: Naivy Pérez

Title: Like vs Dislike

Year: 2015

Genre: Net Art

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STATEMENT

Like vs Dislike discusses the powerful influence of simplicity in our digital culture. Using two iconic gestures, the thumbs up and thumbs down, I appropriate not only a recurring symbol of the era we live in but also the history behind an act that has had critical implications in society since ancient times.

These icons, while representative of the swift appraisal on contemporary social media platforms, have roots in our past. They take us back to times when raising or lowering a thumb could decide life or death, as in the Roman coliseums where the Caesar’s simple hand movement determined an individual’s fate. Now, in the digital age, these gestures determine the value and sometimes the destiny of ideas, creations, and even people.

Beyond mere interaction, Like vs Dislike challenges viewers to question the ethical foundation behind each choice. What leads us to value something positively or negatively? Are our decisions impulsive or reflective? The piece highlights the inherent subjectivity in each action and how, today, decision-making based on individual values and ideals can have an amplified reach thanks to technology.

This work is a mirror of current society and a critique of how digital media have synthesized the complexity of human judgment. Through its minimalism, it reminds us that, although technology has evolved, the essence of judgment and appraisal remains an integral part of the human condition.