Challenge
With the subject of young peoples’ social media usage spiking in the aftermath of hit TV show Adolescence, Havas SO knew it was time to effect meaningful change. It wasn’t enough to be part of the conversation; real change must be initiated at a government level. In partnership with The Cybersmile Foundation, they concepted Stop The Forced Feed, a campaign devised to amplify the shocking and harmful content that social media users are exposed to within mere minutes of scrolling. To get the message across, they needed a tangible product with a visual identity that felt unnerving, insidious and impactful – that’s where we came in.
Solution
We created Dark Mode, the design concept for the fictional food brand Algorithm™. A glitch-led typographic system, screen-based textures and toxic yellow highlights all work together to create a dystopian and unsettling visual language. Combined with disruptive layouts and an abrasive tone, these elements interrupt rather than decorate – whether they appear digitally in campaign content or physically on product packaging.
Food items such as ‘Racist White Bread’, ‘Cream of Violence Soup’ and ‘Free Range Misogyny’ were packaged in our Dark Mode visuals and delivered to government officials and influencers in ‘HARMpers’ as a metaphor for algorithmic consumption. They were also stocked on the shelves of Tesco.
Impact
In launch week, The Cybersmile Foundation saw a 42% increase in website traffic and had nearly 9,000 visits to the campaign pages. The campaign earned a combined total of 79.5 million impressions, and an Early Day Motion was initiated by an MP after seeing the campaign.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer responded directly when asked about the initiative, stating,“I am worried about algorithms because it is too quick for young people to be getting to material they shouldn’t be accessing, and we can’t leave young people to self-police here.”
Cybersmile has been invited to host an event at the Palace of Westminster to garner further parliamentary support.
