‘PU*F’
AUTHOR: SURI JIANG
We are in the age of the "pressure cooker", a pot full of "sensitive words" that cannot be said.
The pressure builds and builds until the pressure reaches its peak...
Keyword filtering is primarily implemented at the router, application server, and client software levels, targeting applications such as website access, forums, blogs, instant messaging, and email. The configuration of sensitive words is one of the tools used in China’s internet censorship.
Reports indicate that China’s internet authorities continually update their list of sensitive terms, incorporating words related to current events. This has significantly increased the censorship burden on Chinese social networks, while also adding to the pressure felt by the people. Society seems like a pressure cooker, with the tension around these ‘sensitive words’ under strict scrutiny continually amplified and magnified. Eventually, the pressure will reach its limit, and the pressure cooker will explode, causing harm…
VISUAL EFFECT
Comparing society to a pressure cooker, the censorship pressure on Chinese social networks has increased significantly, with sensitive words continually being added, and the pressure on the people rising alongside. The scrutiny of these ‘sensitive words’ amplifies, further heightening the stress of self-censorship. The pressure cooker is swelling. When the pressure reaches its peak, it will release steam—steam symbolizing the people's negative emotions, eventually condensing into water droplets.
POSTER
VISUAL PRESENTATION
Society is likened to a pressure cooker filled with unspeakable ‘sensitive words.’ The censorship pressure on Chinese social networks is growing, the number of sensitive terms is increasing, and so is the stress on the people. The pre-determined structure of the cooker symbolizes contemporary Chinese society; silver honeycomb-like strips unfold like pipelines, continuously channeling negative emotions into ‘steam clusters.’ These ‘steam clusters’ erupt like blooming flowers and eventually condense into water droplets. The water droplets, representing the people’s negative emotions, are enveloped by various ‘sensitive words.’
FINALLY
As the steam in the pressure cooker continues to build, and sensitive words act like chains binding speech and thought, we are compelled to ask: what is the real issue? Is it the suppressed negative emotions, or the mechanism that creates this pressure in the first place? When society becomes a giant boiler, shouldn’t we seek a release valve rather than simply adding more constraints? Perhaps it’s time for us to reflect and think more deeply: how can we ensure that more voices are heard and more emotions are addressed, rather than allowing them to accumulate into uncontrollable eruptions? The right to speak out belongs to all of us, and it is something we must all ponder…