"I n December 2023, a group of researchers from Freie Universität Berlin conducted what has become one of the most significant experiments on the construction of reality in the digital age. The project, led by Marcus Heidemann, consisted of the creation and controlled dissemination of a complex narrative across different strata of German society. The experiment involved the publication of a fictitious philosophical book, Die digitale Dämmerzustand ( The Digital Twilight State), attributed to a non-existent Japanese academic, Hiroshi Tanaka."
"The book, which analyzed the mechanisms of contemporary media manipulation, was collectively written by the research team using artificial intelligence algorithms to generate parts of the content. The team recruited thirty "participant observers" through a public call for an unspecified "social experiment." These participants, divided into groups of "observers" and "amplifiers," were tasked with documenting the narrative and, in some cases, facilitating its dissemination, without revealing the nature of the experiment."
"The results were surprising. Over the course of six months, the story spread organically through academic and cultural circles; several critics published reviews of the "discovered" book, and spontaneous debates emerged about the figure of the author. Interpretations and theories about his identity developed, and the book was even cited in academic papers. The most interesting aspect of the experiment was the way in which the narrative fed itself: participants began to find unforeseen connections, and complex theories emerged about the presumed life of the author."
Researchers at Freie Universität Berlin created and disseminated a fictitious philosophical book attributed to a non-existent Japanese academic, Hiroshi Tanaka. The research team used artificial intelligence to generate parts of the text and recruited thirty participant observers divided into 'observers' and 'amplifiers' who documented and, in some cases, promoted the narrative without revealing the experiment. Over six months the fabricated work spread organically through academic and cultural circles, attracted reviews, sparked debates about the author's identity, and received academic citations. Participants uncovered unforeseen connections, produced complex theories about the imagined author, and formed spontaneous discussion groups that layered unplanned meanings onto the narrative.
Read at The Walrus
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