Paranoiapp (2015)

Interview with Valia Fetisov, Nicolay Spesivtsev and Dzina Zhuk

Category: Interview
Description: »Paranoiapp« is a social-psychology experiment combining a mobile application with an algorithm of users' interaction. Participants are invited to voluntarily explore fear by joining a Community of individuals, who are each potentially being followed by everyone else. For this purpose, the application continuously leaks one's geolocation, sending it to another user chosen by the algorithm.

By agreeing to the terms and conditions of »Paranoiapp«, one agrees to being watched. Every little change of location is collected, stored, analyzed, and sent to other users. You may be the one followed, you cannot know for sure. To induce fear on a city-wide scale, one or two people are chosen to be followed. Followers collaborate with each other in a chat, where they can discuss their target. Participation in the experiment requires installing »Paranoiapp« on one's mobile phone.

App download via iTunes .
Video Documentary:
ZKM | Institute for Visual Media

Camera: Sarah Binder, Martina Rotzal, Christina Zartmann
Editing: Sarah Binder
Interview: Regina Hock