Unpacking Social Media’s Impact: An EIOPD Methodology for Engaging Audience Perspectives in Installation Art Beyond the Cocoon – Exploring the Dual Impact of Social Media through Immersive Engagement

Background and Aim: Social media’s dual role as a connector and isolator poses complex psychological and social challenges, including digital isolation and the “information cocoon” effect. Using a novel EIOPD methodology (exhibition, interviews, observation, and exemplar pluralism), this study explores how installation art can facilitate critical public dialogue about these effects. Through an immersive art installation disrupted by environmental forces (flooding), the study specifically examines audiences’ interpretations of social media’s effects, exploring the need for adaptive art practices within the discourse of digital trauma. Materials and Methods: The installation work “Confined Fields: Limited Worldviews in Information Cocoons” (CR: LWWIC) uses symbolic elements (plastic-wrapped mannequins, social media icons, LED projections) to represent digital isolation. Audience engagement was analyzed using the EIOPD framework: Exhibition (E): Exhibited at Baan Tuek Art Center (Chiang Mai, Thailand). Interviews (I): 20 structured conversations capturing affective/intellectual responses. Observations (O): Behavioral analysis of 5 sessions, recording body language/dwell time. Paradigmatic Diversification (PD): The installation was iteratively improved using welded steel, interactive LED lights, and feedback-based sensors. An unexpected flood during the exhibition added an environmental layer of color, symbolizing the unpredictability of digitalization. Data were analyzed thematically(Braun & Clarke, 2024). Results: Perception of duality: 60% of participants perceived social media as both a connector and a separator. Symbolic resonance: 50% of respondents interpreted the plastic mannequin as “digital armor,” reflecting Zuboff’s “surveillance capitalism.” Environmental amplification: The flood reinforced the theme of resilience, with 75% of respondents linking it to the uncontrollability of digital trauma. Participatory demands: 20% of respondents requested enhanced interactivity (e.g., sensors, sound) to achieve a deeper level of immersion. The PD phase enhanced engagement, and the interactive LED sculptures facilitated community reflection. Conclusion: The EIOPD methodology uniquely combines immersive art with empirical analysis, revealing the ability of installation art to catalyze critical discourse in digital society. By transforming environmental disturbances into symbolic assets and iterating through audience feedback, the framework advances relational aesthetics in the digital age. This study demonstrates the transformative role of art in facilitating resilience-oriented conversations about the social impacts of social media.