The Gollum

Your another big brother is watching you
Project Summary
Class: ABC Browser Circus Fall 2020
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Instructor: Professor Leon Eckert

Timeline: 4 Weeks
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Languages: HTML, CSS, Javascript
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Project Details
Have you ever thought about being watched while browsing? Inspired by Netflix’s original docudrama The Social Dilemma, this project aims to empower people with a sense of alertness while browsing the web through the physical presence of the Gollum that is always watching your action and commenting on your action/inactions.

People started to have a general idea of their traces being recorded online. Nonetheless, few ever truly understand to what extent big tech companies are extracting our data-- from which link we click, for how long we stay on a single page, to who we interact with on social media platforms. Our daily lives seem to be controlled by a giant ghost behind the web.

Download chrome extension
Brainstorm and Sketches
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Code display
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‍If the mouse does not move for 1 minute, the gollum would ask “are you still there?”
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When the user click anywhere on the page, the gollum will response to the action by speaking one generic.
03.
The screenshot shows how the limbs and the head of the gollum show on the browser.
In order to make create the tension, I also let the gollum to control the screen size. The gollum does not let the users to enter the full-screen mode; once the user wants to enter the full-screen mode, the gollum will force him to exit the full-screen.
Core Experiences
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The Gollum is watching you
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The head of the ghost will float on the top of the browser, and his hands will float on the sides. There is mouse tracking as well; the eyes of the ghost will move with the mouse. Moreover, Gollum does not allow you to enter full-screen mode. This experience create a feeling of tension and pressure for users.
Open the new tab
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When users open new tab, the page will change to dark mode. The gollum will say "Hi there, I'm gollum. Type the URL in the address bar."
The greetings and comments from Gollum
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Again, it's an immersive experience of being watched. When the user click on the page, the gollum will respond. For instance, he might says "I'm watching you" or "huh.. Interesting". Moreover, if the mouse does not move for 1 minute, the gollum would ask "Are you still there?"
Reversed texts
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We create an reverseText function to mess up with every paragraph on the page every 10 seconds; the gollum is the naughty spy who would love to interrupt you from time to time.
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