The Digital Cage:
Exploring Internet Consumption through Eye Tracking and Fashion Design

The Digital Cage is a collection of minimal waste garments created to encourage discussion on
the topic of internet addiction, abuse, and the negative health consequences. Eye tracking technology was employed to create unique digital textile prints that were used to craft the final garments.

As our internet consumption and our exposure to negative content rises we must ask
ourselves -  What can I do to maintain my health while using the internet? Am I
using it at a healthy and responsible level?

Four popular social/news media sites were selected for this project - Twitter, Facebook, Fox
News, and CNN. Four images of nature were also selected to serve as contrast and relaxation from
the internet sites.

For the development of the textile prints an eye tracking session with 12 college students, 6 female and 6 male, was completed using a convenience sample of millennial age students. Each student
was assigned a color from the color wheel to protect their identity, create interesting color stories
in the final prints, and to identify them where needed ("Participant Blue-Violet," etc).

Once the eye tracking was completed all four social media gaze plots were executed as wide panel
prints for usage in zero/minimal waste designs. These social media prints would become the outerwear pieces in the collection. A corresponding, modern jumpsuit was created to be worn with each social media garment.

One unique feature of the social media outerwear pieces is that they stack to create final, "Browser Tabs" look. This was inspired by both the Fall 2010 Viktor & Rolf fashion show and how internet consumers often have numerous "Tabs" open on their internet browser.
 
The four nature slides were blended into one final repeatable print and used in the creation of the counter point "Nature/Neutrality" garment. This garment was created to show freedom from the
internet and returning to nature/our natural selves.

This thesis project was exhibited at Central Michigan University on April 27th, 2018.

Click the PDF button to see the defense presentation.


To see a larger size just click on the image in the gallery below.